Standard Lemma guide

disappearance

noun · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /dɪsəˈpɪəɹəns/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: D IH2 S AH0 P IH1 R AH0 N S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: D IH2 S AH0 P IY1 R AH0 N S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The action of disappearing or vanishing.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • Wireless phone technology led to the disappearance of once-common coiled cords for telephone handsets.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Passing out of sight.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • From the shore, they watched the disappearance of the ships' masts into the haze.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Leaving secretly of without explanation

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • The prosecuting attorney was concerned about the potential disappearance of witnesses.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Cessation of existence.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

the act of leaving secretly or without explanation

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: disappearing

Antonyms: appearance

Broader terms: departure, going, going away, leaving

Narrower terms: vanishing

6

noun

Meaning 6

gradually ceasing to be visible

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: fade

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: termination, ending, conclusion

7

noun

Meaning 7

the event of passing out of sight

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: appearance

Broader terms: happening, occurrence, occurrent, natural event

Narrower terms: ingress, immersion, evanescence, vanishing, receding, fadeout

8

noun

Meaning 8

ceasing to exist

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he regretted the disappearance of Greek from school curricula
  • what was responsible for the disappearance of the rainforest?
  • the disappearance of resistance at very low temperatures

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: happening, occurrence, occurrent, natural event

History

Etymology

From disappear + -ance.

Across languages

Translations

51 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: اِخْتِفَاء (iḵtifāʔ) — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Armenian: անհետացում (anhetacʻum) — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Belarusian: знікне́нне (zniknjénnje) — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Belarusian: прапа́жа (prapáža) — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Bulgarian: изче́зване (izčézvane) — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Catalan: desaparició — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Chinese Mandarin: 消失 (xiāoshī) — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Chinese Mandarin: 失蹤 /失踪 (shīzōng) — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Czech: zmizení — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Danish: forsvinding — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Dutch: verdwijning — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Esperanto: malapero — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Finnish: katoaminen — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • French: disparition — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Galician: desaparición — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • German: Verschwinden — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Greek: εξαφάνιση (exafánisi) — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Ancient Greek: ἀφανισμός (aphanismós) — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Gujarati: અંતર્ધાન (antardhān) — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Hebrew: היעלמות — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Hebrew: הֵעָלְמוּת (he'al'mút) — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Hungarian: eltűnés — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Ingrian: hävviimiin — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Italian: sparizione — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Italian: scomparsa — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Japanese: 消失 (shōshitsu) — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Korean: 소실 (sosil) — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Latin: abitus — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Latin: fuga — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Macedonian: исчезнување (isčeznuvanje) — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Māori: numanga — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Māori: ngaromanga — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Norwegian Bokmål: forsvinning — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Occitan: desaparicion — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Polish: zniknięcie — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Portuguese: desaparição — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Portuguese: desaparecimento — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Portuguese: sumiço — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Romanian: dispariție — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Russian: исчезнове́ние (isčeznovénije) — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Russian: пропа́жа (propáža) — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Serbo-Croatian: нѐстанак — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Serbo-Croatian: nèstanak — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Slovak: zmiznutie — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Slovene: izginotje — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Spanish: desaparición — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Swedish: försvinnande — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Tocharian B: nautalñe — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Tocharian B: spärkālñe — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Ukrainian: зни́кнення (znýknennja) — action of disappearing or vanishing
  • Ukrainian: пропа́жа (propáža) — action of disappearing or vanishing
Real reading context

disappearance in complete knowledge articles