What does omission mean?
An omission is something left out, or the act of leaving something out. The term can describe a missing word, fact, example, item, or entire section, and it often suggests that the absence is accidental, careless, or significant rather than merely optional. Writers may criticise an omission in a report, speech, contract, or list, while editors use the word when a passage has unintentionally excluded information. In legal and administrative contexts, an omission can have consequences because it may conceal an important fact or fail to meet a requirement. The word is also useful for discussing how silence and absence communicate information: what has been left unsaid can shape an audience's understanding as much as what has been stated directly. Although omission can describe deliberate exclusion, it most commonly draws attention to an absence that ought to have been included.
The act of leaving something out or failing to include or mention it.
"The omission of important details weakened the witness's statement."
Common in formal and legal writing, where it can imply a consequential or improper absence.
Something that has been left out, especially from a text, list, record, or collection.
"The archive contains several deliberate omissions from the official record."
This sense is somewhat less common and often refers to a missing entry or section.
The plural is used for individual missing items or examples of leaving something out.
"The report was criticised for its numerous omissions."
An omission can turn a nearly complete sentence into a misleading one, which is why careful writers treat missing words as evidence rather than empty space.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does omission come from?
Omission comes from Latin omittere, meaning “to leave out or omit,” formed from omittere’s elements om-, meaning “before” or “around,” and mittere, meaning “to send.” English borrowed the word in the late 16th century, initially as omitte and later in the form omission. The same Latin root lies behind omit, omissive, and the related legal term omission. The family also includes forms such as commit and remittance in older and separate senses involving sending, although the modern sense of omission is specifically one of leaving something out.
Related word forms
How omission is actually used
The word is formal and especially common in writing, law, and discussion of documents or lists. It usually implies an unintended or significant absence, though it can also refer neutrally to deliberate exclusion.