Meanings
plural absence seizures
- medicineA type of seizure indicative of petit mal epilepsy, usually lasting up to thirty seconds and involving vacantness and lack of awareness, possibly including twitching; not including spasm or unconsciousness.
1 more example
She blinked rapidly several times, then her chin lifted slightly and her eyes rolled back. It lasted only seconds but the EEG showed the presence of a type of generalized seizure called an “absence seizure” — characterized by a lack of attention. The strange eye movements indicated a rare type of absence-seizure disorder called Jeavons syndrome.
2022 October 13, Lisa Sanders, M.D., “She Suffered From Headaches and Fatigue. Were Concussions to Blame?”, in The New York Times Magazine
Synonyms & antonyms
nounthe occurrence of an abrupt, transient loss or impairment of consciousness (which is not subsequently remembered), sometimes with light twitching, fluttering eyelids, etc.; common in petit mal epilepsy
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Dutch petit mal
- petit malterm for a petit mal epileptic seizure
French absence épileptique
- absence épileptiqueterm for a petit mal epileptic seizure
Russian абса́нс
- абса́нс (absáns)term for a petit mal epileptic seizure
Spanish crisis de ausencia
- crisis de ausenciaterm for a petit mal epileptic seizure
Cite this entry
absence seizure. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/absence%20seizure
“absence seizure.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/absence%20seizure. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “absence seizure,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/absence%20seizure.
Source: absence seizure on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.