Agency Dictionary
omission
nounPronunciation: /oʊˈmɪʃ.ən/
In Portuguese: omissão
Writing & NarrativeWhat does “omission” mean?
The intentional or accidental act of leaving something out or excluding details from a statement or text.
Etymology
From Middle English omissioun, through Old French omission, from Late Latin omissio, omissionem (a leaving out), derived from Latin omittere (to let go past, to leave aside). The Latin verb joins ob- (a prefix indicating away or past) and mittere (to send, let go), forming the sense of letting something pass without acting on it.
Usage note
An omission can be either deliberate (a strategic silence) or accidental (an oversight). The distinction matters in legal, editorial, and ethical contexts.
Synonyms
- exclusion
- oversight
- gap
- elision
- neglect
Word family
- omit
- omitted
- omitting
- omissive
Rhymes with
- position
- condition
- tradition
- ambition
- suspicion
- edition
Usage examples
Every person that delves deep into the expression of writing comes across, at some moment, with the Iceberg Theory (Or the theory of omission) coined by the iconic Ernest Hemingway
Writing.1 - The Titanic Theory
Concepts
- Ernest HemingwayErnest Hemingway is the writer to whom the Agency editorial attributes the Iceberg Theory, also called the theory of omission. Writing.1 calls him iconic and takes his…
- Show, Don't TellShow, don't tell is a classic creative writing maxim advising authors to convey characters, emotions, and settings through sensory action rather than direct exposition…
- The Iceberg TheoryThe Iceberg Theory is a literary technique coined by Ernest Hemingway asserting that the deeper meaning of a story should not be visible on the surface. By deliberately…
Source editions
Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.
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Also from these editions: concepts
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