emptiness 1 of 3

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

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2
as in void
empty space there in the vast emptiness of the desert was a long-abandoned jeep

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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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empty

2 of 3

adjective

ˈem(p)-tē How to pronounce empty (audio)
1
as in devoid
lacking contents that could or should be present the refrigerator is empty, so we'll have to eat out

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2
as in hungry
feeling a desire or need for food as the long car trip wore on, we all started to feel a little empty

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3
as in meaningless
having no meaning spare me your empty apologies because if you were truly sorry, you'd change

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4
as in worthless
having no usefulness an empty task that was assigned just to keep us busy

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5
as in unsuccessful
producing no results all of the leads in the missing-person case were turning up empty

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6
as in blank
not expressing any emotion the speaker looked out at a crowd of empty faces

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empty

3 of 3

verb

as in to evacuate
to remove the contents of empty the room before starting to paint the ceiling

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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective empty contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of empty are blank, vacant, vacuous, and void. While all these words mean "lacking contents which could or should be present," empty suggests a complete absence of contents.

an empty bucket

When might blank be a better fit than empty?

While in some cases nearly identical to empty, blank stresses the absence of any significant, relieving, or intelligible features on a surface.

a blank wall

When could vacant be used to replace empty?

The words vacant and empty are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, vacant suggests an absence of appropriate contents or occupants.

a vacant apartment

When is vacuous a more appropriate choice than empty?

Although the words vacuous and empty have much in common, 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 empty?

The meanings of void and empty 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 emptiness
Noun
That’s because Horton’s emptiness is felt downtown wide. —Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Sep. 2025 And by the time Bob finally reaches the border of that emptiness, the actor playing him no longer feels the least bit absent from himself. —David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Swayman was pulled for an extra skater with just under three minutes to go and Necas finished it off with an empty-netter. —Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 19 Oct. 2025 The world feels empty with the void left by Jane Goodall. —Lisa Wade, Mercury News, 19 Oct. 2025
Verb
Lue emptied the bench in the fourth, and the young players couldn’t hold on to the lead in the waning minutes. —Janis Carr, Oc Register, 13 Oct. 2025 This emptying-out trajectory may be familiar to anyone who's read accounts of contemplative mystical experiences. —Jim Higgins, jsonline.com, 13 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for emptiness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for emptiness
  1. hunger
  2. void
  3. vacancy
  4. devoid
  5. hungry
  6. meaningless
  7. worthless
  8. unsuccessful
Noun
  • For many, missing a month of benefits could mean hunger.
    — Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Today, thousands cross seas and deserts daily, escaping war, hunger, and horror.
    — Callum McLennan, Variety, 24 Oct. 2025
Definition of hunger
Noun
  • While earnings season has helped fill the information void, this pause in government data comes at a uniquely unfortunate time, given questions about the health of the labor market and inflationary pressures during the trade war.
    — Zev Fima,Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 19 Oct. 2025
  • Taking advantage of that void, Hamas began reasserting itself in force on the streets of Gaza.
    — Kara Fox, CNN Money, 19 Oct. 2025
Definition of void
Noun
  • The city’s vacancy rate has fallen back to pre-pandemic levels, and new housing construction is at its weakest pace in a decade, the report added.
    — Nino Paoli, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2025
  • The Senate currently has 28 Republicans and six Democrats, with a vacancy in Senate District 26.
    — Ella McCarthy, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2025
Definition of vacancy
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
Definition of devoid
Adjective
  • Going into the weekend, the expectation was that McLaren would dominate, given the high temperatures in Austin and the tire-hungry demands of COTA, previously noteworthy strengths for the team over its competitors.
    — Luke Smith, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
  • Change Halloween to the Fourth of July and a relentless maniac to a hungry shark, and Steven Spielberg's iconic blockbuster might as well be a seabound slasher.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 18 Oct. 2025
Definition of hungry
Adjective
  • To me, that feels like a meaningless question in most cases, because the violence is here.
    — Fiction Non Fiction, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
  • If the cosmic ray bound turns out to be meaningless, r is allowed to be even lower.
    — Big Think, Big Think, 22 Oct. 2025
Definition of meaningless
Adjective
  • Another recurring feature of the biggest asset booms is outright chicanery, such as fraudulent accounting, the marketing of worthless securities, and plain old stealing.
    — John Cassidy, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
  • Marks drew a parallel to the late 1990s internet boom, which promised to transform the world — and ultimately did — yet left a trail of worthless companies in its wake.
    — Yun Li, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2025
Definition of worthless
Adjective
  • Romo was starting to describe how Mahomes was complaining about the attempt being unsuccessful when he was interrupted by the Chiefs running the ball and picking up the first down.
    — Jayna Bardahl, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
  • However, the shooting was unsuccessful and Alex suffered only superficial wounds.
    — Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025
Definition of unsuccessful

Phrases Containing emptiness

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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 26 Oct. 2025.

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