omission
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the act of not including something, or the thing that is missing.
the act of excluding or failing to include something; also, the specific item or detail that has been left out.
Simple“The editor noticed the omission of a key name from the guest list.”
In context“The report was criticized for its glaring omission of the environmental impact data, which many felt was a deliberate attempt to mislead the public.”
UsageOften used with the preposition 'of' to indicate what is missing.
- 02 C1 Advanced
a failure to do something that you were supposed to do.
the neglect or failure to perform an action that one is legally or morally obligated to do.
Simple“The company was sued for its omission in providing safety equipment.”
In context“Legal experts argued whether the accident was caused by a direct action or a negligent omission by the site supervisor.”
UsageCommonly paired with 'commission' in the phrase 'sins of commission and omission'.
Antonyms - 03 C2 Proficiency
leaving out a letter or sound in a word, often shown by an apostrophe.
the deletion of a letter or sound from a word or phrase, typically represented by an apostrophe in writing.
Simple“In the word 'don't', the apostrophe shows the omission of the letter 'o'.”
In context“The poet used the omission of final consonants to mimic the specific regional dialect of the characters.”
UsageUsed primarily in linguistics and grammar contexts.
Synonymselisioncontraction
“De Zerbi described Richarlison’s omission as a “consequence” of the Brazilian’s actions over the past month and a half.”
From Middle English omissioun, from Old French omission, from Late Latin omissio, omissionem, from Latin omitto.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.