absent referent

noun

The condition of a sign which has an empty, absent, non-existent, paradoxical, hypothetical, supernatural, or undefined referent, such as nothing, null, vacuum, or void.

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Meanings

nounabsent referent (plural absent referents)

plural absent referents

  1. human sciencesThe condition of a sign which has an empty, absent, non-existent, paradoxical, hypothetical, supernatural, or undefined referent, such as nothing, null, vacuum, or void.

Origin

absent + referent

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

absent referent. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/absent%20referent

MLA

“absent referent.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/absent%20referent. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “absent referent,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/absent%20referent.

Source: absent referent on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.