1
as in devoid
lacking contents that could or should be present
a great vacuous space that should have been filled with an audience
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of vacuous
Maybe John-John was a vacuous jock type, but even hunks have souls.
—
Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Feb. 2026
The book is padded out by big type, airy leading and slight, vacuous tributes to the likes of Gregory Peck and Truman Capote produced for organs like the American Film Institute or the Book of the Month club.
—Literary Hub, 17 Dec. 2025
Hollywood, having decided that no spectacle is too vacuous, no common denominator too low, has aligned itself with OneTaste.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
People feel free to throw out the first, poorly-thought-out, vacuous reaction to any news story — whether based in fact or fiction, and regardless of negative consequences.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vacuous
Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Feb. 2026
The book is padded out by big type, airy leading and slight, vacuous tributes to the likes of Gregory Peck and Truman Capote produced for organs like the American Film Institute or the Book of the Month club.
—Literary Hub, 17 Dec. 2025
Hollywood, having decided that no spectacle is too vacuous, no common denominator too low, has aligned itself with OneTaste.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
People feel free to throw out the first, poorly-thought-out, vacuous reaction to any news story — whether based in fact or fiction, and regardless of negative consequences.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vacuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vacuous
Adjective
-
Her outfit was devoid of any other color.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA Today,
15 June 2026
-
His sister snatched the sheet back in disbelief, only to see his blank face seemingly devoid of life.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
For a few hours, there's no doom and gloom on the news, no family drama, no Slack notifications, no people fighting about dumb stuff on social media.—
Amber Harding OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
-
In fact, without an understanding of how an organization or business operates, some tasks might seem unnecessary, boring or even dumb.—
Chris Perry,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
That day, according to Yadira, immigration agents directed Wilber into an empty interview room.—
Itzel Luna,
Los Angeles Times,
17 June 2026
-
If a circle is empty, for example, players must learn to move their hands in the opposite direction to complete that task.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
Adjective
-
Fans wear their favorite players’ name, beg for their autograph and spend stupid amounts of money just to be in their proximity.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
-
Not every bee was successful, but that doesn’t necessarily mean there’s such a thing as a stupid bumblebee, Loukola says.—
Adam Kovac,
Scientific American,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
Several cattle grazed in the distance, but the barren land by the road seemed abandoned.—
Ian James,
Los Angeles Times,
3 July 2025
-
Hundreds of booths stand barren behind a chain-link fence, mostly stripped to their skeletal remains and covered in fabric or tarp.—
Denise Chow,
NBC news,
3 July 2025
Adjective
-
A little snow in the morning; cloudy, chilly; slow and slippery travel in the morning; improving road conditions in the afternoon.—
Jackie Borchardt,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
12 Dec. 2025
-
Liverpool have been much slower starters, getting outscored 6-8 in Premier League first halves (and 1-4 in the opening 15 minutes of their games).—
Liam Tharme,
New York Times,
12 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
My wife goes into the kitchen and returns with beer, fruit, and a few simple dishes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
-
When the Phoenix Mercury started chipping away at the Valkyries’ 18-point lead, threatening to turn a dominant night into a late-game nightmare, Golden State had a simple answer.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
With more than 38,000 gallons of fuel on board the cargo flight bound for Hawaii, the crash created a massive ball of fire – punctuated by smaller explosions from flammable material on the ground – and sent a towering plume of thick black smoke into the sky.—
Karina Tsui,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
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This vacuum is a deep clean machine that includes five height adjustment settings for cleaning hard floors and thick carpets.—
Nashia Baker,
Architectural Digest,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vacuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vacuous. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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