"absently" meaning in English

See absently in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Adverb

IPA: /ˈæb.sn̩t.li/ [US] Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-absently.wav [Southern-England], LL-Q1860 (eng)-Wodencafe-absently.wav [US] Forms: more absently [comparative], most absently [superlative]
Etymology: Etymology tree Latin absum Latin absēnsder. Old French ausentder. Middle French absentbor. ▲ Latin absēnsbor. Middle English absent English absent Middle English -ly English -ly English absently From absent + -ly. Etymology templates: {{ety|en|:af|absent|-ly<id:adverbial>|text=+|tree=1}} Etymology tree Latin absum Latin absēnsder. Old French ausentder. Middle French absentbor. ▲ Latin absēnsbor. Middle English absent English absent Middle English -ly English -ly English absently [Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from", "terms" : [ { "children" : [ { "keyword_abbrev" : "der.", "keyword_label" : "Derived from", "terms" : [ { "children" : [ { "keyword_abbrev" : "der.", "keyword_label" : "Derived from", "terms" : [ { "children" : [ { "terms" : [ { "children" : [ ], "lang_name" : "Latin", "term" : "absum", "status" : "missing", "lang" : "la" } ], "keyword_label" : "From", "keyword" : "from" } ], "lang_name" : "Latin", "term" : "absēns", "status" : "ok", "lang" : "la" } ], "keyword" : "derived" } ], "lang_name" : "Old French", "term" : "ausent", "status" : "inline", "lang" : "fro" } ], "keyword" : "derived" } ], "lang_name" : "Middle French", "term" : "absent", "status" : "inline", "lang" : "frm" }, { "is_duplicate" : true, "children" : [ ], "status" : [ "la", "absum" ], "lang_name" : "Latin", "term" : "absēns", "lang" : "la" } ], "keyword" : "bor" } ], "lang_name" : "Middle English", "term" : "absent", "status" : "inline", "lang" : "enm" } ], "keyword_label" : "Inherited from", "keyword" : "inherited" } ], "lang_name" : "English", "term" : "absent", "status" : "ok", "lang" : "en" }, { "id" : "adverbial", "children" : [ { "terms" : [ { "id" : "adverbial", "children" : [ ], "status" : "missing", "lang_name" : "Middle English", "term" : "-ly", "lang" : "enm" } ], "keyword_label" : "Inherited from", "keyword" : "inherited" } ], "status" : "ok", "lang_name" : "English", "term" : "-ly", "lang" : "en" } ], "keyword_label" : "From", "is_group" : true, "keyword" : "affix" } ], "lang_name" : "English", "term" : "absently", "status" : "ok", "lang" : "en" }" data-lang="en" data-title="absently"> From absent + -ly. Head templates: {{en-adv}} absently (comparative more absently, superlative most absently)
  1. In an absent-minded or abstracted manner. Synonyms: absent-mindedly, abstractedly Related terms: absentee
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      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nLatin absum\nLatin absēnsder.\nOld French ausentder.\nMiddle French absentbor.\n▲\nLatin absēnsbor.\nMiddle English absent\nEnglish absent\nMiddle English -ly\nEnglish -ly\nEnglish absently\n[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"absum\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"absēns\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old French\", \"term\" : \"ausent\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"fro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle French\", \"term\" : \"absent\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"frm\" }, { \"is_duplicate\" : true, \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : [ \"la\", \"absum\" ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"absēns\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"absent\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"absent\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }, { \"id\" : \"adverbial\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"adverbial\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"-ly\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-ly\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"absently\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"absently\">\nFrom absent + -ly.",
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          "type": "quotation"
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          "text": "1891, Thomas Hardy, Tess of the d’Urbervilles, Phase the Fourth, Chapter 34,\n[…] his wife, flinging a shawl round her, had come to the outer room and was listening to the man's narrative, her eyes resting absently on the luggage and the drops of rain glistening upon it."
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          "text": "Absently, he picked a dew-wet leaf from the hibiscus shrub, crushed it in his palm, put it in his mouth and came towards her, chewing.",
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          "text": "The ordeal is a world away from Kira now as she plays games on her new iPad while absently talking about downloading more apps to play music, and voicing her excitement over reuniting soon with her grandfather’s girlfriend.",
          "type": "quotation"
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        "In an absent-minded or abstracted manner."
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          "absent-minded",
          "absent-minded"
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          "abstracted"
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        {
          "word": "absentee"
        }
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        {
          "word": "absent-mindedly"
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          "word": "abstractedly"
        }
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      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nLatin absum\nLatin absēnsder.\nOld French ausentder.\nMiddle French absentbor.\n▲\nLatin absēnsbor.\nMiddle English absent\nEnglish absent\nMiddle English -ly\nEnglish -ly\nEnglish absently\n[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"absum\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"absēns\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old French\", \"term\" : \"ausent\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"fro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle French\", \"term\" : \"absent\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"frm\" }, { \"is_duplicate\" : true, \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : [ \"la\", \"absum\" ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"absēns\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"absent\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"absent\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }, { \"id\" : \"adverbial\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"adverbial\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"-ly\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-ly\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"absently\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"absently\">\nFrom absent + -ly.",
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adv",
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    {
      "word": "absentee"
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        "English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *bʰuH-",
        "English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁es-",
        "English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *leyg- (like)",
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          "type": "quotation"
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      "glosses": [
        "In an absent-minded or abstracted manner."
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  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "absent-mindedly"
    },
    {
      "word": "abstractedly"
    }
  ],
  "word": "absently"
}

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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-08-02 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-07-06 using wiktextract (d9fa233 and 9e92f4b). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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