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Glite Dictionary
unauthorized absence

unauthorized absence

1 6.8
Being away from an assigned place or duty without permission
  • noun
  • /ˌʌnəˈθɔːrɪzaɪd ˈæbsəns/
  • Formal
translation icon : ausencia no autorizada

They wrote me up for being unauthorized absence and you know, fucking no, fuck your package now and all that type of shit.

Examples

  • Colonel Markinson's gone U.A.- unauthorized absence.

    A Few Good Men (1992)

  • Often, she points out, it's an unauthorized absence where the young person is sleeping over at a friend's house and reappears the next day—the kind of thing any teenager might do.

    Academic text (2009)

  • One in four men aged 25-34 said they might take unauthorized absence from work during the event, according to a poll of more than 2,800 Britons carried out for consultancy Wolters Kluwer.

    Academic text (2014)

  • Since the passage of the 1994 Military Code, the jurisdiction of military courts has been strictly limited to offenses against military discipline as defined in the military penal code (e.g., unauthorized absence, insubordination).

    Academic text (2003)

  • The soldier received a warning for his unauthorized absence from the base during the night.

  • Her unauthorized absence from class led to a call from the school to her parents.

  • Due to his unauthorized absence, the employee was subjected to disciplinary action by management.

Synonyms

AWOL
vsunauthorized absence
  • Jargon
10 8.0

Absent from work or duty without permission

is the same meaning but written as an abbreviation rather than words
absence without leave
vsunauthorized absence
  • Formal
7.3

A person who is away from military duty without permission

is the same idea but expressed as a general official phrase

Antonyms

leave
  • Formal
443 3.8

Official permission to be absent from work or duty

How Authorized

excused
3.5
unauthorized absence
  • Formal
1 6.8
desertion
20 6.2

Surface Forms

unauthorized absence singular
unauthorized absences plural

Morphology

unauthorized + absence

The meaning 'an absence without permission' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'unauthorized' (not permitted) with 'absence' (a period of being away). This adjective+noun composition follows basic semantic composition and is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Unauthorized absence comes from military life, where a soldier who left their post without permission left an empty place and was noted by officers. The word unauthorized means 'no permission' and absence means 'being away'. So it now means 'being away from duty without official permission'.