Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
nonappearance

nonappearance

7.5
A failure by a person to come to a place they should, often in court or at a meeting
  • noun
  • /ˌnɒnəˈpɪərəns/
  • Formal
translation icon : ausencia
  • Her nonappearance at the meeting raised concerns among the committee members about her well-being.

Examples

  • The judge issued a warrant for the defendant's nonappearance at the trial.

  • I crawled into bed to write to you, although I know the Chinese consider my nonappearance barbaric.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Writing again in the National Review of July 1857, Richmond lamented the almost total nonappearance of a genuine Leonardo at Manchester.

    Academic text (2012)

  • The lawyer explained the consequences of a nonappearance in court, which could delay the legal proceedings.

Synonyms

absence
vsnonappearance
216 2.1

A lack of someone or something that should be there

is narrower and means failing to appear mainly in formal situations
no-show
vsnonappearance
21 4.0

A person expected at an appointment who does not arrive and gives no notice

is focused on the failure itself in formal or legal contexts
nonattendance
vsnonappearance
6.5

Not being present at an event when people expect you

is about failing to appear in formal or legal situations
nonpresence
vsnonappearance
8.9

Not being in a place or at an event

is focused on failing to appear especially in official or legal contexts

Antonyms

appearance
408 2.6

A person or thing becoming visible in public, for example on stage

Surface Forms

nonappearance singular
nonappearances plural

Morphology

nonappearance = appearance (transparent) = non + appear + ance

The prefix 'non-' clearly negates the noun 'appearance', indicating the absence of appearance.

Etymology

The word nonappearance breaks into non- meaning 'not' and appearance, from appear, meaning 'to show up'. So a nonappearance is when someone 'does not' show up, especially in a formal place like a court or a meeting.