1
as in hunger
a need or desire for food
the emptiness that usually sets in about three o'clock in the afternoon
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in void
empty space
there in the vast emptiness of the desert was a long-abandoned jeep
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in vacancy
the quality or state of being empty
the emptiness of the interior of the isolated house just made it seem all the more eerie
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of emptiness
Instead, the general indifference shown toward its own story — or, at least, the best versions of it — comes to emphasize the emptiness at its core.
—
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 8 Jan. 2026
He was left with an unfamiliar emptiness.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 6 Jan. 2026
Many of life’s goals reveal their emptiness only after having been wasted in years of pursuit.
—Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 1 Jan. 2026
Drew Michael similarly mocked Jimmy Fallon’s emptiness in his 2021 special Red Blue Green by impersonating his ability to laugh at anything, and Hasan Minhaj impersonated Aziz Ansari’s cartoonishness in 2022’s The King’s Jester.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 30 Dec. 2025
But what is perceived as conversational emptiness is, in fact, an essential cultural mechanism.
—Jeanne Ballion, Vogue, 27 Dec. 2025
The busyness of the composition below and the emptiness above imply a ground and a sky, which explains why critics often said that Frankenthaler’s work was, in essence, landscape painting.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
Does Frey intend to take aim at the emptiness of money and status as metrics for the good life, for human flourishing?
—Literary Hub, 17 Dec. 2025
And the crowd lurches; the crowd flexes; the crowd feels its core, which is both a sucking emptiness and a site of repellent energy, like the space cleared by a fistfight.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 16 Dec. 2025
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 8 Jan. 2026
He was left with an unfamiliar emptiness.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 6 Jan. 2026
Many of life’s goals reveal their emptiness only after having been wasted in years of pursuit.
—Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 1 Jan. 2026
Drew Michael similarly mocked Jimmy Fallon’s emptiness in his 2021 special Red Blue Green by impersonating his ability to laugh at anything, and Hasan Minhaj impersonated Aziz Ansari’s cartoonishness in 2022’s The King’s Jester.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 30 Dec. 2025
But what is perceived as conversational emptiness is, in fact, an essential cultural mechanism.
—Jeanne Ballion, Vogue, 27 Dec. 2025
The busyness of the composition below and the emptiness above imply a ground and a sky, which explains why critics often said that Frankenthaler’s work was, in essence, landscape painting.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
Does Frey intend to take aim at the emptiness of money and status as metrics for the good life, for human flourishing?
—Literary Hub, 17 Dec. 2025
And the crowd lurches; the crowd flexes; the crowd feels its core, which is both a sucking emptiness and a site of repellent energy, like the space cleared by a fistfight.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 16 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for emptiness
Noun
-
There was too much hunger and lack for gorgeous architecture to take hold.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Nearly one in 12 people worldwide suffers from hunger, while one-third of the world’s population cannot afford a healthy diet.—
Reem Alabali Radovan,
Fortune,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In the years since the murder, Wade said that every milestone in his life has had a void, an achingly empty space where his mother should be.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
29 Jan. 2026
-
The Chargers turned to a familiar face to fill a glaring void after defensive coordinator Jesse Minter departed last week to become the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens.—
Elliott Teaford,
Oc Register,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In recent years, depressed values and elevated vacancy rates have triggered a spate of foreclosures or sales at steep discounts of office buildings in the Bay Area.—
George Avalos,
Mercury News,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Marie-Laure Sauty de Chalon decided to step down from the company’s board after 12 years and the directors have proposed that Expedia CEO Ariane Gorin fill the vacancy at the next annual meeting on April 23.—
Evan Clark,
Footwear News,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
He had been found in the snow by the motorway heading to the airport, and after his stomach had been pumped at Sabbatsberg Hospital he was taken to Beckomberga.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
-
After the initial stomach issues subside, the toxin continues to invade the liver cells and stops them from making RNA (ribonucleic acid), which the body needs to make healing and protective proteins.—
Amy McGorry,
FOXNews.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Perhaps there’s comfort to be found in the stillness and blankness of winter.—
The Atlantic Culture Desk,
The Atlantic,
26 Dec. 2025
-
In that moment, control often slips away as muscles stiffen, limbs jerk, awareness fades into confusion or blankness and those around feel powerless to help.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
18 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Fact vacuum There’s an information vacuum and that space is filling up with garbage.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The fecklessness of the old INS created the vacuum filled by ICE.—
Michael Gecan,
New York Daily News,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Pace stressed that the appetite for collectible art and design continues to grow among Saint Moritz residents and visitors alike.—
Sofia Celeste,
Footwear News,
28 Jan. 2026
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Pancreatic cancer's early symptoms include weight loss, light-colored stool or floating stools, dark-colored urine, itching, loss of appetite, belly pain that spreads from the sides to the back and yellowing of the skin and eyes, according to the Mayo Clinic.—
Sarah Sotoodeh,
FOXNews.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Beth Israel Lahey Health has long been the state’s second-largest hospital system, the second biggest employer, the second most fill-in-the-blank.—
Jessica Bartlett — Boston Globe,
STAT,
25 Jan. 2026
-
There are subtler blanks besides.—
Dan Sheehan,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Emptiness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/emptiness. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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