diff --git a/changelogs/fragments/basic-no-state-absent-when-path-or-dest.yaml b/changelogs/fragments/basic-no-state-absent-when-path-or-dest.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..110f7fb3ab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/fragments/basic-no-state-absent-when-path-or-dest.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+bugfixes:
+  - 'do not return ``state: absent`` when the module returns either ``path`` or ``dest`` but the file does not exists (https://github.com/ansible/ansible/issues/35382)'
diff --git a/lib/ansible/module_utils/basic.py b/lib/ansible/module_utils/basic.py
index eb7c77f50b..9901f77196 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/module_utils/basic.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/module_utils/basic.py
@@ -1559,8 +1559,6 @@ class AnsibleModule(object):
             if HAVE_SELINUX and self.selinux_enabled():
                 kwargs['secontext'] = ':'.join(self.selinux_context(path))
             kwargs['size'] = st[stat.ST_SIZE]
-        else:
-            kwargs['state'] = 'absent'
         return kwargs
 
     def _check_locale(self):
diff --git a/lib/ansible/modules/files/file.py b/lib/ansible/modules/files/file.py
index ca12a7ec9a..1d7d38cfa9 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/modules/files/file.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/modules/files/file.py
@@ -470,9 +470,9 @@ def ensure_absent(path):
                                                           'path': path})
 
         diff = initial_diff(path, 'absent', prev_state)
-        result.update({'path': path, 'changed': True, 'diff': diff})
+        result.update({'path': path, 'changed': True, 'diff': diff, 'state': 'absent'})
     else:
-        result.update({'path': path, 'changed': False})
+        result.update({'path': path, 'changed': False, 'state': 'absent'})
 
     return result