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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 On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors approved an $8.6 billion budget that cut spending for some county programs and axed vacant positions amid dwindling aid from the state and federal governments. Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 June 2025 But Oak Cottage has been vacant since 1983 and is in need of substantial rehabilitation, district officials said. Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 27 June 2025 Some of the businesses gave phony addresses, such as a vacant home. Cezary Podkul, ProPublica, 25 June 2025 In 1870, Mississippi legislators voted 81 to 15 to elect Revels to the Senate to finish the term of one of the state’s two U.S Senate seats, which had been left vacant since the Civil War. Bea L. Hines, Miami Herald, 19 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for vacant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vacant
Adjective
  • The notion Tehran was sprinting toward a nuclear bomb is an empty talking point.
    Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025
  • Twelve refill capsules are also included, as well as a prepaid shipping box to send the empty ones back.
    Matthew Korfhage, Wired News, 25 June 2025
Adjective
  • Waititi never recommitted to Akira and the project has been dormant ever since.
    Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 27 June 2025
  • The Guardians can boast of solid pitching, but their offense has been dormant.
    Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025
Adjective
  • The first Tron had played out as a series of face-offs featuring glowing figures against a black background, replicating the blank environment of an arcade screen.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 27 June 2025
  • Wear it as a blank canvas, or switch things up with a statement belt.
    Catie Pusateri, Glamour, 26 June 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
  • Delle, devoid for so long from its intrinsic need for social interaction might be filling in the gaps by talking to himself.
    Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 14 Feb. 2023
Adjective
  • Entering play Thursday, an off day for the Yankees, the reigning American League MVP had the highest average (.361), OPS (1.180), fWAR (6.1) and wRC+ (221) in baseball.
    Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 26 June 2025
  • His hope is two off days — Wednesday’s game and the team’s off-day on Thursday — will put him in position to return to the lineup on Friday in Cincinnati.
    Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 June 2025
Adjective
  • 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
  • One of the most powerful scenes in Sugarcane takes place in a disused barn where, over a period of decades, Indigenous children worked under the lash.
    Matthew Carey, Deadline, 8 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Work and plans are changing what was once a barren landscape into a new neighborhood.
    Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 29 June 2025
  • As the moon progresses through the different phases of the lunar calendar, the sun's light throws new impact sites, barren plains, and swathes of broken landscapes into relief as prime targets for amateur astronomers wielding binoculars and backyard telescopes.
    Anthony Wood, Space.com, 21 June 2025
Adjective
  • There appears to be a large, long unused or maintained pool on the property.
    Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2025
  • Real-time weather inputs—cloud ceilings, dust plumes, wind shear—could sharpen targeting windows and reduce risk, but today often sit unused due to bureaucratic lags.
    Charles Beames, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Vacant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vacant. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.

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