devoid

adjective

de·​void di-ˈvȯid How to pronounce devoid (audio)
: being without a usual, typical, or expected attribute or accompaniment
used with of
an argument devoid of sense
a landscape devoid of life

Examples of devoid in a Sentence

the so-called comedy is totally devoid of intelligence, originality, and even laughs the picnic jug was completely devoid of juice after only a few minutes
Recent Examples on the Web That devoid ingredient hindered things exponentially. Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 15 Feb. 2024 The restaurant’s menu is devoid not only of meat, cheese, eggs, caffeine, and sugar, but also of spicy and oily foods. Mary Holland, Robb Report, 27 Aug. 2023 The retail giants can see that healthcare is exorbitantly priced, uncoordinated, inconvenient and technologically devoid. Robert Pearl, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2023 Low and steady, devoid of emotion or singsongy nature…most of us don't even want our leaders to sound like that anymore! Emily Leibert, Glamour, 29 Mar. 2023 The Texans faced criticism for firing two Black coaches after just one season with rosters devoid of any stars and lacking much talent. Dallas News, 31 Jan. 2023 Even our Moon is a hazardous, desolate place — devoid of atmosphere, and lacking protection from a constant rain of radiation emitted by our Sun. Mrigakshi Dixit, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Jan. 2023 What really appealed to me the idea of our experience of that, at the time, was these photographs completely devoid of context. Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Dec. 2022 Not devoid of action. Rory Smith, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'devoid.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, past participle of devoiden to dispel, from Anglo-French *desvoider, from des- dis- + voider to empty — more at void entry 3

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of devoid was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near devoid

Cite this Entry

“Devoid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/devoid. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

devoid

adjective
de·​void di-ˈvȯid How to pronounce devoid (audio)
: not having a usual or expected quality
a book devoid of interest

More from Merriam-Webster on devoid

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