absence
In the absence of proof to the contrary, the court will assume that the agreement reflects the intention of all parties.
Researchers were looking at genes as a way of explaining why the deaths continued even in the absence of risk factors.
In the absence of hard evidence, conspiracy theories flourished.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Non-existence and not being
absence
absent
aren't
defunct
die
disappear
extinct
extinguishment
negation
non-being
non-body
non-existent
non-extant
now defunct
presence
seronegative
such
there's no such thing/person (as)idiom
unfulfilled
wasn't

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Absent