VACANT Synonyms: 185 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

vacant

adjective

ˈvā-kənt

Definition of vacant next

as in empty

lacking contents that could or should be present a vacant room that could be converted into a classroom

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in dormant

not being in a state of use, activity, or employment looking for vacant land on which to build a house

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in blank

not expressing any emotion the prisoner's vacant and distracted expression

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in deserted

left unoccupied or unused police discovered that vagrants had been sleeping in the vacant warehouse

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 Interviews for the vacant head football coaching job at Southlake Carroll will begin next week, school board president Cameron Bryan said. —

Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Jan. 2026 Neighbors in North Hills told reporters the vacant commercial building was formerly a church, and homeless people have been known to take up residence inside the empty structure. —

City News Service, Daily News, 14 Jan. 2026 Ryan and Mahoney’s team took over a vacant former cannery — at least one wall of which remains on the grounds of the Solar Turbines plant — and completed the build within Lindbergh’s 60-day timeline. —

Eric Duvall, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026 Over the next two months or so, work will focus inside the 190,000-square-foot, bunker-like structure — vacant for nearly two decades and long the target of vandals and the object of thieves who stripped the concrete structure of anything of value. —

Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 14 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for vacant

Recent Examples of Synonyms for vacant

Adjective

The most decrepit and weather-worn houses appear to be empty, although a few show outward signs that they are occupied.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Jan. 2026
As has been the case so often in history, an administration desperate to reverse its declining popularity may have placed the military in the position of triumphing in an empty spectacle abroad while the war is at risk of being lost silently at home.

— Charles LeBaron, Time, 13 Jan. 2026

Definition of empty

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vacancy

vacant

vacantness

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“Vacant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vacant. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.

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Last Updated: 16 Jan 2026 - Updated example sentences

Synonyms of vacant

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