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
Relevance
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
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
The condition is marked by intense emotional swings, a chronic feeling of emptiness, and a deep fear of abandonment.
—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
11 June 2026
Interstellar space is unforgivingly vast, but the emptiness has some advantages.
—
Kai James,
The Conversation,
26 May 2026
The Tuesday parking shortage and the Monday emptiness are not anomalies to correct.
—
Chase Garbarino,
Fortune,
15 May 2026
Lift up your eyes unto the hills, and behold all that delightful emptiness.
—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
Elijah Strand, Athena’s uncle, told the court that Horner’s actions devastated their family and left them with an emptiness that can’t be filled.
—
Harriet Ramos
may 5,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 May 2026
Why do people team up around an emptiness, so much spent breath?
—
Julian Bell,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
The scene leaves us wondering about the sudden emptiness.
—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
25 Apr. 2026
The average kitchen cabinet holds three or four plastic spray bottles in various states of emptiness, each one destined for the recycling bin—or, more likely, the trash.
—
Jamie Thilman,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
22 Apr. 2026
Angela Haupt,
Time,
11 June 2026
Interstellar space is unforgivingly vast, but the emptiness has some advantages.
—
Kai James,
The Conversation,
26 May 2026
The Tuesday parking shortage and the Monday emptiness are not anomalies to correct.
—
Chase Garbarino,
Fortune,
15 May 2026
Lift up your eyes unto the hills, and behold all that delightful emptiness.
—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
Elijah Strand, Athena’s uncle, told the court that Horner’s actions devastated their family and left them with an emptiness that can’t be filled.
—
Harriet Ramos
may 5,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 May 2026
Why do people team up around an emptiness, so much spent breath?
—
Julian Bell,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
The scene leaves us wondering about the sudden emptiness.
—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
25 Apr. 2026
The average kitchen cabinet holds three or four plastic spray bottles in various states of emptiness, each one destined for the recycling bin—or, more likely, the trash.
—
Jamie Thilman,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
22 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for emptiness
Noun
-
The state also ranks fourth in the nation for childhood poverty and hunger, according to Katie Ruth Camp, the organization's vice president of marketing and public relations.
-
Feeling comfortably full may help prevent waking up from hunger in the middle of the night.
Noun
-
One was the rise to mini-major status of Miramax and New Line, leaving a void at the high end of the indie food chain.
-
Below is the rest of Mutchnick and Kohan’s recollection of their fateful first meeting with Burrows, the decades of collaboration and friendship that followed and the large void the director’s passing is leaving in their lives and the world of TV comedy.
Noun
-
Republicans currently hold a 217-212 majority in the House, with five vacancies and one independent.
-
The amendment also requires governors to play a role in the replacement process when vacancies occur.
Noun
-
People prone to heartburn or acid reflux may also find lemon water irritating, especially on an empty stomach.
-
Onaje’s body was covered with numerous bruises to the chest, stomach, back and legs.
Noun
-
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.
-
The terrifying blankness of James Raterman’s military interrogator.
Noun
-
This handheld vacuum has a lightweight design and strong suction to clean debris in hard-to-reach areas behind the couch, in the car, and other hard-to-reach areas.
-
To secure modern cryptographic systems against the vulnerabilities of predictable data, Fraunhofer IPMS developed Q-Dic that harvests true randomness from unpredictable quantum vacuum fluctuations.
Noun
-
On the other side of the supply-and-demand scale, consumers’ appetite for oil fell substantially more over the past few months than just about anyone predicted.
-
Councilmember Ken Houston has dropped a November ballot measure seeking to strip the Oakland Police Commission’s ability to fire and help hire the chief — legislation that would have tested voter appetite for scaling back the commission’s responsibilities.
Noun
-
Retrofitted rat traps that fired Hollywood blanks meant to deafen and deter.
-
The remainder — 27 in the field of 45 candidates in 16 districts — gave themselves either a nonpartisan label or left the line blank.
Cite this Entry
“Emptiness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/emptiness. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
