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blank

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noun

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as in form
a piece of paper with information written or to be written on it handed him an employment blank to fill out

Synonyms & Similar Words

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blank

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective blank contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of blank are empty, vacant, vacuous, and void. While all these words mean "lacking contents which could or should be present," blank stresses the absence of any significant, relieving, or intelligible features on a surface.

a blank wall

When could empty be used to replace blank?

Although the words empty and blank have much in common, empty suggests a complete absence of contents.

an empty bucket

When can vacant be used instead of blank?

In some situations, the words vacant and blank are roughly equivalent. However, vacant suggests an absence of appropriate contents or occupants.

a vacant apartment

Where would vacuous be a reasonable alternative to blank?

The words vacuous and blank are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, vacuous suggests the emptiness of a vacuum and especially the lack of intelligence or significance.

a vacuous facial expression

When would void be a good substitute for blank?

The meanings of void and blank largely overlap; however, void suggests absolute emptiness as far as the mind or senses can determine.

a statement void of meaning

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of blank
Noun
Barrett held up a blank notepad. Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025 With only 4 blank-side dominoes, this would be crucial in figuring out later steps. Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Verb
Morgan shot Scott, a father of three, six times point blank in the head, prosecutors said. Sean Neumann, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025 Strictly speaking, the result was derivative, fill-in-the-blank. Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for blank
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blank
Adjective
  • But the White House should not settle for empty promises and construction photo-ops.
    Joel Thayer, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Jîna’s parents, Mojgan Eftekhari and Amjad Amini, sat beside her empty grave.
    Fatemeh Jamalpour, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Banking has become functionally correct but emotionally devoid, with the industry swimming in a sea of sameness.
    Michael Abbott, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
  • That devoid ingredient hindered things exponentially.
    Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 15 Feb. 2024
Adjective
  • Difficult Let’s do a complete walkthrough of today’s Difficult Pips.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
  • The Pats drafted Tyquan Thornton in the second round in 2022 and cut him before his third season was complete.
    The Athletic NFL Staff, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Under Article 4, discussions at the North Atlantic Council - NATO’s principal political decision-making body - could potentially lead to some form of joint decision or action.
    Matt Spetalnick, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
  • His understanding of form, proportion and architecture was divine.
    WWD Staff, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The emptiness gives her space to think.
    Keith Flanagan, Architectural Digest, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Voisin — who played another hero of a French classic in Xavier Giannoli’s 2021 adaptation of Balzac’s Lost Illusions — carries the entire drama as a lost soul whose physical beauty (perfect jawline, killer abs) can hardly conceal the emptiness inside of him.
    Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • That many in the media have ignored the unit’s rise is an indictment.
    Sean Durns, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Amid all its glorious and aesthetic architecture lies the massive environmental impact that cannot be ignored.
    Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • In September 2022, schoolteacher Eliza Fletcher was kidnapped during an early morning run, and her body was later found near a vacant duplex.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 13 Sep. 2025
  • Each apartment was different from the next, and the vacant unit (one daughter retreated to a Greek island) had views of the sea.
    Keith Flanagan, Architectural Digest, 11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Here was the postwar American housewife—neatly dressed, pretty, poised, active—stepping unwittingly into a scene of utter depravity and sadism that reflected back at this wholesome young mother the darkest recesses of the human mind.
    Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Such comments demonstrate his utter disregard for and distrust of law enforcement and our legal process.
    U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Blank.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blank. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.

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