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as in dumb
not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily a movie that was enthusiastically derided for its vacuous dialogue

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective vacuous contrast with its synonyms?

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

In some situations, the words blank and vacuous are roughly equivalent. However, blank stresses the absence of any significant, relieving, or intelligible features on a surface.

a blank wall

In what contexts can empty take the place of vacuous?

The meanings of empty and vacuous largely overlap; however, empty suggests a complete absence of contents.

an empty bucket

Where would vacant be a reasonable alternative to vacuous?

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

a vacant apartment

When would void be a good substitute for vacuous?

The synonyms void and vacuous are sometimes interchangeable, but 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 vacuous Gavras, working from a script he co-wrote with Pulitzer-finalist playwright Will Arbery, seems to be poking fun at the vacuous postures of the oligarch class, just as Ruben Östlund and many other filmmakers have in recent years. Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025 Malvolio’s sneering high-handedness enrages the hedonistic members of Olivia’s household: her drunken cousin, Sir Toby Belch (John Ellison Conlee); his vacuous buddy Andrew Aguecheek (Jesse Tyler Ferguson); and her saucy maid, Maria (Daphne Rubin-Vega). Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025 Fallon, for his part, plays his usual role of affable if vacuous host. Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2025 These are the hallmarks of the Alien franchise, which have remained mostly consistent across the seven movies (plus two vacuous Alien vs. Predator crossovers) that have kept those terrifying Xenomorphs coming back to our screens every decade since the original premiered in 1979. Judy Berman, Time, 5 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for vacuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vacuous
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
  • And, in one of the dumbest and most obviously racist postr taken by a presidential candidate, at some point Republicans became fixated on the idea that Haitian migrants were stealing pets for food in the Midwest.
    Sal Rodriguez, Oc Register, 18 Oct. 2025
  • After Johnson gave his answer to that resolutely dumb question, several other luminaries took a whack at the zeitgeist piñata.
    Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Or for the wide swaths of empty seats in the upper deck that formed after the New York Giants put the game in a vice grip with a three-score lead late in the third quarter and put the Broncos on shutout watch.
    Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 20 Oct. 2025
  • The kitchen was empty, save for an enormous stockpot of broth, with chicken feet bobbing at the surface.
    Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • But, God, to be able to play a Pablo Escobar who was just petty and wanted friends, there was something so stupid and so hilarious about that to me.
    Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2025
  • Keaton continued to play oddballs with a peculiar way of talking, though none were trivial or stupid.
    Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Where homes, buildings and fields once stood in the southern city of Rafah, there were now craters and barren wastelands.
    Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2025
  • Those who reached Spain were offered a place to rebuild their lives — on a small, barren island.
    Miquel Ros, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Audition is a slow burn, spending the better part of two hours setting up audiences for arguably one of the most graphic climaxes in horror history.
    Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Oct. 2025
  • Tai chi is a form of exercise that involves slow, gentle movements and balancing poses.
    Carrie Madormo, Health, 19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Monochromatic Raven loves to stick to a simple, serene palette by combining a variety of white tulips with different bloom times.
    Miranda Crowell, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Oct. 2025
  • This Madewell version channels that effortless, neutral polish Kitts described—simple, structured, and endlessly versatile.
    Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Their style of pitching — relentlessly pound the strike zone — works well in a ballpark where the thick air depresses doubles and triples.
    Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Let cool and spread a layer, about one-fourth-inch thick, of cream cheese icing over the entire cake.
    Kathryn Gregory, Louisville Courier Journal, 15 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Vacuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vacuous. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.

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