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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective vacant contrast with its synonyms?

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

a vacant apartment

When can blank be used instead of vacant?

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

a blank wall

When would empty be a good substitute for vacant?

In some situations, the words empty and vacant are roughly equivalent. However, empty suggests a complete absence of contents.

an empty bucket

When is vacuous a more appropriate choice than vacant?

While the synonyms vacuous and vacant are close in meaning, vacuous suggests the emptiness of a vacuum and especially the lack of intelligence or significance.

a vacuous facial expression

When is it sensible to use void instead of vacant?

The words void and vacant are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, 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 vacant The house has been vacant for quite awhile, Arnold added. Mitchell Willetts, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2025 The building was released from the city’s vacant building program in March of 2024, at which time Taylor was sent a reminder of the fee, which was neither paid nor appealed at the time, according to the city. Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 11 Sep. 2025 This is strange enough, but the place has also been vacant for about 20 years while the rest of Williamsburg has turned into a luxury mall — units at a condo on the corner at Driggs Avenue rent for $6,000. Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 10 Sep. 2025 Nearly half the streetlights didn't work, more than 47,000 homes stood vacant or burned out and arson claimed as many as 12,000 buildings a year. Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for vacant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vacant
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
  • Often when faced with a trauma, a redwood will swell a bank of dormant buds and woody tissue to create burls.
    Greg Sullivan, AFAR Media, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Note that plants go dormant in areas that experience hard freezes.
    Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Above her headboard, a small square painting floats on a blank wall like a postage stamp, recalling a cross above the bed.
    Keith Flanagan, Architectural Digest, 11 Sep. 2025
  • In 2022 and 2024, there were similar blank stretches, but both seasons ended with major wallops to Florida — Hurricanes Ian and Nicole in 2022, and Hurricanes Helene and Milton last year.
    Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • So how does Fernanda end up bound on the floor of a deserted cabin, held hostage by one of her teachers and estranged from Annelise?
    Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Days are spent fishing, snorkeling, and picnicking on deserted Indian Ocean islands, while nights are spent sleeping under the stars.
    Ian Proctor, Travel + Leisure, 6 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
  • Though his request to play in Napa was denied, his off-course involvement is already proving to be a unifying force.
    Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
  • However, he was involved in an off-field accident that forced the Royals to shift their pitching plans.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • This edition’s commissions have taken over some of the town’s most striking and unusual locations, including a church built for the fishing community, a former customs house, a Martello Tower and a disused railway bridge.
    Joanne Shurvell, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025
  • On his release, Stern went on to spend the 1950s ping-ponging between New York and California, for a time living on a disused laundry barge in Sausalito.
    News Desk, Artforum, 3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The team wasn’t able to completely rule out that TRAPPIST-1e is a barren rock like its inner siblings, however, partly because of interference from its hyperactive star.
    Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 8 Sep. 2025
  • The local Rite Aid was getting ready to shut down, with barren shelves and 75% off all items, while commerce elsewhere in the town of less than 3,000 people wasn’t exactly bustling.
    David Mark, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

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

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