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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 budget funds 280 fewer full-time MSP positions than in 2025, though the bulk of those cuts represent the elimination of vacant positions. Paul Egan, Freep.com, 3 Oct. 2025 Some even report being pinched and yanked at while in the room, staff say the pincher is the ghost of a homeless little girl who occupied the vacant prison during the Great Depression. Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 3 Oct. 2025 And after whisking Adebayo away to a nearby vacant house, Judomaster lays out a Scrabble board — or, as it’s called in this very dark universe, Scrobble — and makes a pretty convincing case that Chris Smith should be regarded as a villain. Scott Meslow, Vulture, 3 Oct. 2025 At the time the category 4 storm swept through the region in September 2024, the home was vacant. Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 2 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for vacant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vacant
Adjective
  • On third-and-9, the Cowboys came out in empty formation with running back Javonte Williams split out wide next to George Pickens.
    Ted Nguyen, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
  • This area was mostly empty at the beginning, but the monstrous sounds of the race cars firing up their engines drew a lot of attention.
    Keenan Thompson, Freep.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • To determine whether a branch is dead or just dormant, scrape some of the bark away.
    Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 5 Oct. 2025
  • Once the bulb has gone dormant and all the foliage has died down, carefully dig the bulb or tuber out of the ground.
    Erica Browne Grivas, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • One tactic to deal with lower demand and softer rates could be blank sailings.
    Sarah Jones, Sourcing Journal, 2 Oct. 2025
  • If portions of the page appear blank and an ad blocker is enabled, please disable the ad blocker and refresh the page to ensure full access to the content.
    The Athletic UK Staff, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Where to stay Set along an 11-mile stretch of deserted beach on Sardinia’s rugged Costa Verde, Le Dune Piscinas is framed by Europe’s tallest sand dunes, part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Chloe Arrojado, AFAR Media, 26 Sep. 2025
  • Today, the incredible deserted ruins of this once-powerful city, perched like a fortified eagle’s nest high in the mountains of southwestern Turkey, can be conquered by anyone willing to make the hike up here.
    Barry Neild, CNN Money, 23 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
  • The first signs that 2025 wouldn’t live up to Ferrari’s off-season hopes emerged in testing, when McLaren teased its advantage.
    Luke Smith, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Perhaps not, and that was attributable to some of his off-field pursuits, as sports journalist Devin Gordon explains in one episode.
    Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The piece is a collection of disused shoemaker boxes, once used by cobblers to keep tools, pressed against each other and stacked up, clambering toward the ceiling.
    Edna Bonhomme, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2025
  • The easy route takes visitors along a disused rail line for a gentle jaunt in one of the Pacific Northwest's loveliest regions.
    Stacey Lastoe, Travel + Leisure, 19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The Giants have Logan Webb and Robbie Ray as their 1-2 punch, but the starting pitching is barren behind them.
    Drew VonScio, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Piazzale Angelo Moratti will no longer appear like a vast docking station for a bleeping spaceship on a barren planet, serviced only by rickety trams and a purple metro line.
    James Horncastle, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Vacant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vacant. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on vacant

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