emptiness

noun

Definition of emptinessnext
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

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 emptiness Occasional moments of real, spontaneous joy emerge, and others reveal the crushing emptiness of lives going nowhere, but the script doesn’t lean too hard in either direction. — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2026 In all of the sketchbook entries reproduced here, Ross seems to offer a bridge between the representation of emptiness and the lived sensation of it. — Ryan Sullivan, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026 The suburbs promise space yet deliver emptiness, critics charge. — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026 Treating emptiness as sophistication becomes incapable of distinguishing moral from aesthetic judgment. — Frank Porcu, New York Daily News, 20 Sep. 2026 Markets have seen through the emptiness of Bessent’s remedy, as ‘bond vigilantes’ have driven bond yields even higher despite Bessent’s band-aids. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 10 Sep. 2026 What makes this emptiness more bothersome is the cavalier way Wingard wields the imagery of rogue, militarized killers wreaking havoc on the American landscape. — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026 Bring In Texture Layering décor is a sure way to absorb a room’s visual emptiness. — Shagun Khare, Martha Stewart, 29 Aug. 2026 However, at the quantum level, emptiness is filled with unwanted noise. — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 22 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for emptiness
  1. hunger
  2. void
  3. vacancy
  4. stomach
  5. blankness
  6. vacuum
  7. appetite
  8. blank
Noun
  • Creating brand hunger while ensuring brands remain the pinnacle of creative prestige is no small feat.
    — Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Human traffickers are turning children’s hunger, desperation and need for affection into tools of exploitation, a Colorado city police sergeant warned after his dedicated unit’s first year brought dozens of survivors to safety.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of hunger
Noun
  • DeWanna Bonner added 23 points and helped fill the void when Allisha Gray went down with a left hand injury in the second quarter.
    — Marisa Ingemi, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
  • All but Lightfoot ended up returning, but their temporary absences forced Cristobal to rotate in a lot more players to fill the void.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of void
Noun
  • The change would allow commissioners to fill those commission vacancies by scheduling a special election to sync up with an existing local election.
    — Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Front Street said last month that pending requests had fallen by more than 90% after vacancies were filled and processes were streamlined.
    — Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of vacancy
Noun
  • Wells' family and their lawyers disputed the grand jury's findings, pointing to unexplained bruising on the back of his head and noting that his airways and stomach were devoid of water.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Keith died in February 2024 following a battle with stomach cancer.
    — Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of stomach
Noun
  • Elsewhere, Huston exudes a terrifying blankness while writing his Spinoza magnum opus paper dressed literally in a suit with an upright piano in the room, and a Chekhov’s google search of Nembutal in his browser history.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Not only do the records feature scuff marks and price tags, but poems and doodles—as if the blankness was begging to be filled in.
    — Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 24 May 2026
Definition of blankness
Noun
  • In its vacuum, a handful of buffets inspired by the brand sprouted up, including Soup ‘n Fresh in Rancho Cucamonga.
    — Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Amazon Prime Big Deal Days sale is officially done, but these robot vacuum and mop deals are still cleaning up.
    — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of vacuum
Noun
  • Of note for more adventurous appetites are the oxtail and blue cheese pizza or Zambian whole bream fish.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The asset manager is among a growing number of global firms in Abu Dhabi’s financial center, ADGM, drawn by proximity to sovereign wealth funds like ADIA and Mubadala, family offices, and the region’s expanding appetite for private credit.
    — Kelsey Warner, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of appetite
Noun
  • The shoot involved firing blanks and igniting explosions, theatrics that shocked the film’s residential neighbors and spurred concerns over public safety.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026
  • And while the finished home is indeed roughly 80 percent vintage (about half of it came from Somerset House’s own inventory), Eckstein knew the home’s blank, cookie-cutter palette needed the biggest intervention.
    — Keith Flanagan, Architectural Digest, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of blank

Browse Nearby Words

empties
emptiness
empty
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Cite this Entry

“Emptiness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/emptiness. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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