absenteeism

ab·sen·tee·ism | \ ˌab-sən-ˈtē-ˌi-zəm

How to pronounce absenteeism (audio)

\

Definition of absenteeism

1 : prolonged absence of an owner from his or her property

2 : chronic absence (as from work or school) also : the rate of such absence

Examples of absenteeism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Barrientos said more than 40 doctors have the virus, adding to an already severe staffing problem because of a lack of gasoline, public transportation and personal protective equipment, all of which have contributed to absenteeism. — Washington Post, "Virus hits Venezuelan city, raising fears of broader crisis," 26 June 2020 Among students considered most at risk because of issues including past absenteeism, disciplinary problems, and poor academic performance, less than half are participating at all. — Michael Melia, The Christian Science Monitor, "Unplugged: As students go absent, educators go sleuthing," 15 June 2020 After an executive order from Trump, plants have reopened, but worker absenteeism is restraining output. — Mike Dorning, Bloomberg.com, "Every Single Worker Has Covid at One U.S. Farm on Eve of Harvest," 19 May 2020 Although several have reopened, absenteeism remains a problem. — The Economist, "The spread of covid has caused a surge in American meat prices," 13 May 2020 The maker of Purell hand sanitizers is washing away some unproven marketing claims that its products reduce school absenteeism and prevent infections from germs such as Ebola, norovirus, flu, and certain drug-resistant infections. — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "Purell’s unproven disease-fighting claims get sanitized after FDA warning," 29 Jan. 2020 Both sides in the recent labor dispute agreed that the spike in teacher absenteeism increased the demand for already scarce substitute teachers and disrupted the educational flow in the classroom. — Eric Zorn, chicagotribune.com, "Column: Chicago teachers can bank a lot more sick days in their new contract. Why? Because they were absent much more under the old plan.," 7 Nov. 2019 The school report card defines chronic absenteeism as missing 10% or more of school days per year — with or without a valid excuse. — Jennifer Johnson, chicagotribune.com, "School report cards show under 50% of District 207 students proficient in math, language arts, science," 19 Nov. 2019 Meanwhile, the state has increased pressure on Boston and other districts to boost attendance, adding chronic absenteeism last year as another measure of school quality. — James Vaznis, BostonGlobe.com, "Knocking on doors, BPS superintendent stresses school attendance," 4 Sep. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'absenteeism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about absenteeism

Dictionary Entries near absenteeism

absentee ballot

absentee landlord

absentee ownership

Statistics for absenteeism

Last Updated

6 Jul 2020

Cite this Entry

“Absenteeism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/absenteeism. Accessed 13 Jul. 2020.

Keep scrolling for more

WORD OF THE DAY

parsimonious

See Definitions and Examples »

Test Your Vocabulary

Words for Summer: A Quiz

Which of the following words means “of or relating to summer”?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.