1
as in devoid
lacking contents that could or should be present
a great vacuous space that should have been filled with an audience
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dumb
not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily
a movie that was enthusiastically derided for its vacuous dialogue
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of vacuous
Gavras, working from a script he co-wrote with Pulitzer-finalist playwright Will Arbery, seems to be poking fun at the vacuous postures of the oligarch class, just as Ruben Östlund and many other filmmakers have in recent years.
—
Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
Malvolio’s sneering high-handedness enrages the hedonistic members of Olivia’s household: her drunken cousin, Sir Toby Belch (John Ellison Conlee); his vacuous buddy Andrew Aguecheek (Jesse Tyler Ferguson); and her saucy maid, Maria (Daphne Rubin-Vega).
—Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025
Fallon, for his part, plays his usual role of affable if vacuous host.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2025
These are the hallmarks of the Alien franchise, which have remained mostly consistent across the seven movies (plus two vacuous Alien vs. Predator crossovers) that have kept those terrifying Xenomorphs coming back to our screens every decade since the original premiered in 1979.
—Judy Berman, Time, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vacuous
Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
Malvolio’s sneering high-handedness enrages the hedonistic members of Olivia’s household: her drunken cousin, Sir Toby Belch (John Ellison Conlee); his vacuous buddy Andrew Aguecheek (Jesse Tyler Ferguson); and her saucy maid, Maria (Daphne Rubin-Vega).
—Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025
Fallon, for his part, plays his usual role of affable if vacuous host.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2025
These are the hallmarks of the Alien franchise, which have remained mostly consistent across the seven movies (plus two vacuous Alien vs. Predator crossovers) that have kept those terrifying Xenomorphs coming back to our screens every decade since the original premiered in 1979.
—Judy Berman, Time, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vacuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vacuous
Adjective
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Banking has become functionally correct but emotionally devoid, with the industry swimming in a sea of sameness.—
Michael Abbott,
Forbes,
19 Mar. 2025
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That devoid ingredient hindered things exponentially.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
15 Feb. 2024
Adjective
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And, in one of the dumbest and most obviously racist postr taken by a presidential candidate, at some point Republicans became fixated on the idea that Haitian migrants were stealing pets for food in the Midwest.—
Sal Rodriguez,
Oc Register,
18 Oct. 2025
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After Johnson gave his answer to that resolutely dumb question, several other luminaries took a whack at the zeitgeist piñata.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Or for the wide swaths of empty seats in the upper deck that formed after the New York Giants put the game in a vice grip with a three-score lead late in the third quarter and put the Broncos on shutout watch.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
20 Oct. 2025
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The kitchen was empty, save for an enormous stockpot of broth, with chicken feet bobbing at the surface.—
Hannah Goldfield,
New Yorker,
20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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And that’s a stupid, dumb, mindless question.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
25 Oct. 2025
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Dessert Week is the stupidest week, at least conceptually.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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An arid, barren landscape with extreme temperature swings from 45 to -40 degrees Celsius (113 to -40 degrees Fahrenheit).—
Rosanna Philpott,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
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There's a naivety and sweetness to them that's ripped away in an instant when the two passionately make love in the barren house, the inciting incident for the demise of their relationship.—
Billie Melissa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Audition is a slow burn, spending the better part of two hours setting up audiences for arguably one of the most graphic climaxes in horror history.—
Steven Thrash,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Oct. 2025
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Tai chi is a form of exercise that involves slow, gentle movements and balancing poses.—
Carrie Madormo,
Health,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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While House Republicans can pass legislation with a simple majority vote, Senate Republicans cannot advance most matters without meeting a 60-vote threshold.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 Oct. 2025
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But in stoppage time, Miami was gifted a third goal when Jordi Alba crossed from the left and keeper Willis, colliding with defender Walker Zimmerman, spilled the ball right to Messi, who had the simplest of tap-ins.—
The Athletic Staff,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The most recent eruption occurred in June, spewing thick clouds of gas and molten rock as high as 4 miles into the air at some points.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
22 Oct. 2025
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Without thick sheets of ice to buttress it, the rock face becomes destabilized.—
Ella Nilsen,
CNN Money,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vacuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vacuous. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.
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