empty calories
plural noun
: calories from food that supply energy but have little or no nutritional value
Examples of empty calories in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Even with a candy song banging around in the skull, the treat’s word-play trail is the opposite of empty calories.
—
Mare Czinar, The Arizona Republic, 7 Mar. 2024
Ranging from a wall-size self-portrait in a spiky, silver wig to tiny images of fellow artists such as Donald Judd, they are instantly absorbed like sugary, empty calories.
—Victoria Dalkey, Sacramento Bee, 31 Jan. 2024
Only one of them appears to be an improvement though—the other two are empty calories.
—Daniel R. Epstein, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
Fun, a little whimsical, but ultimately all empty calories.
—WIRED, 6 Nov. 2023
That these calories are, by and large, the empty calories of the corn syrup variety is kind of the point.
—Grayson Haver Currin, Outside Online, 9 Mar. 2023
Those provide empty calories that don’t nourish your body.
—Sarah Garone, Health, 28 July 2023
Opt for low-calorie drinks: Alcohol has empty calories that may replace healthy, nutritious foods by using up part of your daily calories.
—Claire Gillespie, Health, 16 July 2023
The easy typecasting of adolescence, the endless cutthroat games, the libidinal fumbling: There are more empty calories for scriptwriters in a camp setting than there are in your average snack shack.
—James Sullivan, BostonGlobe.com, 13 June 2023
Mare Czinar, The Arizona Republic, 7 Mar. 2024
Ranging from a wall-size self-portrait in a spiky, silver wig to tiny images of fellow artists such as Donald Judd, they are instantly absorbed like sugary, empty calories.
—Victoria Dalkey, Sacramento Bee, 31 Jan. 2024
Only one of them appears to be an improvement though—the other two are empty calories.
—Daniel R. Epstein, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
Fun, a little whimsical, but ultimately all empty calories.
—WIRED, 6 Nov. 2023
That these calories are, by and large, the empty calories of the corn syrup variety is kind of the point.
—Grayson Haver Currin, Outside Online, 9 Mar. 2023
Those provide empty calories that don’t nourish your body.
—Sarah Garone, Health, 28 July 2023
Opt for low-calorie drinks: Alcohol has empty calories that may replace healthy, nutritious foods by using up part of your daily calories.
—Claire Gillespie, Health, 16 July 2023
The easy typecasting of adolescence, the endless cutthroat games, the libidinal fumbling: There are more empty calories for scriptwriters in a camp setting than there are in your average snack shack.
—James Sullivan, BostonGlobe.com, 13 June 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'empty calories.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Empty calories.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empty%20calories. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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