The antonyms for the phrase "was ever present" would include 'absent,' 'missing,' 'unavailable,' 'non-existent,' 'invisible,' and 'scanty.' These antonyms describe the opposite of 'was ever present,' which denotes something that is perpetually existing, visible, or available. When something is absent or missing, it implies that it is not present at all. On the other hand, when something is invisible, it may exist but is not visible to the naked eye. Finally, something that is described as 'scanty' implies that it is in short supply or barely present, unlike something that is ever present which exists in abundance.