EMPTY Synonyms: 314 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'empty' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of empty are blank , vacant , vacuous , and void . While all these words mean "lacking contents which could or should be present," empty suggests a complete absence of contents. // an empty bucket

Q: When might 'blank' be a better fit than 'empty'?

While in some cases nearly identical to empty , blank stresses the absence of any significant, relieving, or intelligible features on a surface. // a blank wall

Q: When could 'vacant' be used to replace 'empty'?

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

Q: When is 'vacuous' a more appropriate choice than 'empty'?

Although the words vacuous and empty have much in common, vacuous suggests the emptiness of a vacuum and especially the lack of intelligence or significance. // a vacuous facial expression

Q: When would 'void' be a good substitute for 'empty'?

The meanings of void and empty largely overlap; however, void suggests absolute emptiness as far as the mind or senses can determine. // a statement void of meaning

empty 1 of 2

adjective

ˈem(p)-tē

Definition of empty

as in devoid

lacking contents that could or should be present the refrigerator is empty, so we'll have to eat out

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in hungry

feeling a desire or need for food as the long car trip wore on, we all started to feel a little empty

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in meaningless

having no meaning spare me your empty apologies because if you were truly sorry, you'd change

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in worthless

having no usefulness an empty task that was assigned just to keep us busy

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in unsuccessful

producing no results all of the leads in the missing-person case were turning up empty

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in blank

not expressing any emotion the speaker looked out at a crowd of empty faces

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

empty

2 of 2

verb

as in to evacuate

to remove the contents of empty the room before starting to paint the ceiling

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

fill
load

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective empty contrast with its synonyms?

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

an empty bucket

When might blank be a better fit than empty?

While in some cases nearly identical to empty, blank stresses the absence of any significant, relieving, or intelligible features on a surface.

a blank wall

When could vacant be used to replace empty?

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

a vacant apartment

When is vacuous a more appropriate choice than empty?

Although the words vacuous and empty have much in common, vacuous suggests the emptiness of a vacuum and especially the lack of intelligence or significance.

a vacuous facial expression

When would void be a good substitute for empty?

The meanings of void and empty largely overlap; however, 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 empty

Adjective

Factory scales up gun production Rheinmetall equipped the 11,500-square-meter facility in just eight months, turning an empty building into an operational manufacturing site. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 22 Oct. 2026 The trailer could be seen propped open, with empty guitar cases on the ground. — Renee Anderson, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026

Verb

Because the situation put her at high risk of developing an infection, medical experts said doctors should have offered to speed up delivery or empty her uterus; the fetus was not viable, and losing the pregnancy was inevitable. — Cassandra Jaramillo, ProPublica, 19 Oct. 2026 Four minutes after the hit initially took place, the Falcons’ bench emptied. — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 18 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for empty

Recent Examples of Synonyms for empty

Adjective

In a show mostly devoid of explicit messages, the sentiment surprised me.

— Max Norman, New Yorker, 25 June 2026
Players take on the role of a Ditto capable of mimicking its human trainer, and the Pokémon is thrown into a world devoid of humans.

— Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 25 June 2026

Definition of devoid

Adjective

A week later, however, the win-hungry Jayhawks did manage to solve Baylor’s winning ways versus KU courtesy of a thrilling 25-24 come-from-behind Homecoming Day victory over the Bears on Saturday at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.

— Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 24 Oct. 2026
So putting SpaceX and Tesla together unites two companies that are super-hungry for cash.

— Shawn Tully, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of hungry

Adjective

But there is an enormous difference between asking your allies to shoulder more responsibility and telling them that your promise to defend them might be worthless.

— Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
Mild unease gave way to statements about being worthless, unloved, and a failure.

— Shae Lake, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of worthless

Adjective

Dean Riley, 62, was pronounced dead at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise after lifesaving measures were unsuccessful, according to the coroner’s office.

— Harllie Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 23 Oct. 2026
While not all lawsuits filed against small businesses are valid, even an unsuccessful lawsuit can cause major business disruptions and result in costly legal fees.

— Kaitlyn Gomez, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of unsuccessful

Adjective

Becerra’s origin story traces back to his youth in Sacramento, and a moment when a high school friend was about to throw out a blank, unused application to Stanford University.

— Ben Wieder, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
Various items are prohibited across the complex, including phones, smartwatches, recording devices, and, curiously, blank double-sided pieces of printer paper.

— Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of blank

Verb

The attack also damaged a nearby care home, with emergency crews evacuating 15 elderly residents, the service said.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
In the Farmington area of New Mexico, local officials said that swollen rivers were receding but that many people remained evacuated and hundreds were without power.

— Anna Wilder, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of evacuate

Adjective

These bright spots in an otherwise barren season for curve representation weren’t necessarily novel.

— Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 19 Oct. 2026
Research into turning Martian dust into material that supports plant growth highlights how much work remains to make barren planetary materials useful for agriculture.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of barren

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“Empty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/empty. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of empty

adjective

verb

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