# abessive

CEFR C2 · Noun

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/abessive
Updated: 2026-05-18

## Definition

a grammatical form that shows the absence of something. It is used to say that a person or thing is not in a specific place or does not have a certain quality.

For teachers: a grammatical case or form indicating the absence of a person, thing, or quality. It is used to express the lack of a subject or object within a sentence.

## Examples

- The abessive case shows that the subject is missing.
- In some languages, the abessive is used to indicate that a person is not at home or does not possess a specific item.
- While English relies on prepositional phrases to express absence, other languages utilize the abessive to provide a more direct and concise grammatical marker for the lack of a noun.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.