Basic Details
Word: Disappearance
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: The act of vanishing or going missing so that someone or something can no longer be seen or found.
Synonyms: vanishing, loss, departure
Antonyms: appearance, arrival, emergence
How to Spell Disappearance
Syllables: dis - ap - pear - ance
Tricky part: It is dis + appear + ance: one s, two p's, and an ance ending. Students write dissappearance or disapearance.
Watch out for: dissappearance, disapearance, disappearence
Memory tip: The whole of appear hides in the middle and never changes; dis goes in front and ance behind.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The disappearance of the necklace puzzled everyone at the wedding.
Example 2: Scientists are studying the disappearance of glaciers in the Himalayas.
Example 3: Her sudden disappearance from the stage was part of the magic trick.
Fun Fact
When most of the worker bees suddenly vanish from a hive, beekeepers call it colony collapse disorder.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Makeup
Only one of these words can take the prefix dis- to form a real word. Choose it.
dis
a) patient
b) regular
c) mature
d) appearance
Show answer
d) appearance. Appearance takes dis; the others take im or ir: impatient, irregular, immature.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
disa_pear_nce
a) b, a
b) e, a
c) p, e
d) p, a
Show answer
d) p, a. Appear has a double p, and the ending is ance.
Word Connection
Choose the word opposite in meaning to disappearance as used in the sentence:
The disappearance of sparrows from city gardens worries bird lovers across India.
a) vanishing
b) reappearance
c) decline
d) loss
Show answer
b) reappearance. Disappearance is going away; reappearance is coming back.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. "The police are looking into the disappearance of a painting." The painting ____.
a) went missing
b) was sold
c) was painted again
d) was cleaned
Show answer
a) went missing
2. Which word could replace disappearance in "the disappearance of the forests"?
a) growth
b) smell
c) painting
d) loss
Show answer
d) loss
