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

Still, swapping empty calories for real artistic fuel (something the film industry desperately needs right now), Blumhouse’s fine-enough follow-up to its hit adaptation from 2023 looks and feels like a kind of imitation cheese. —Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 5 Dec. 2025

But while states move to stop subsidizing empty calories, another, more constructive step deserves attention: expanding SNAP to include essential vitamins — particularly multivitamins and prenatal supplements that help close nutritional gaps for families most at risk. —Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 17 Nov. 2025

While a visual feast that gives some of its stars a chance to have fun, the show is empty calories. —Tom Smyth, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2025

But LaVine is 30 years of age and has been to the playoffs just once in 11 previous seasons, and he's regarded by many as an empty calories player. —Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1955, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for empty calories

• kilocalories
• galleries
• salaries