VACUOUS Synonyms: 202 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

vacuous

adjective

ˈva-kyə-wəs

Definition of vacuous

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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in stupid

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 Ample use of soft materials help with sound absorption in the vacuous space. — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 20 Apr. 2026 The serpentine crawl around the airport’s South terminal gave way to wide open space, offering no signs of what the vacuous hall looked like just hours earlier. — Eve Chen, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026 Free-wheeling and overflowing with dopamine, the songs on Nondi… feel like electronic renderings of the vacuous promise of connection in digital society. — Kiana Mickles, Pitchfork, 5 Mar. 2026 In some ways, that Fennell’s Wuthering Heights is this vacuous and one-dimensional feels like progress. — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 21 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for vacuous

Recent Examples of Synonyms for vacuous

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

But also, the audience is not used to people delivering blunt questions — no matter how stupid the answer.

— Jade Tran, Washington Post, 19 Oct. 2026
Pierce and Kember were born in the same place on the same day, a lore-enhancing coincidence too stupid to make up.

— Gabriel Szatan, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of stupid

Adjective

None of the ballistic missiles that slammed Kyiv overnight into Thursday were intercepted – an indicator that Patriot stocks are still empty or critically low.

— Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
Phishing email and empty ring boxes Vardon’s article was primarily about how Knicks assistant coaches did not get rings on Tuesday when the team raised its first league championship banner since 1973.

— Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of empty

Adjective

And that's exactly where Glenn was for the second time this season — guilty of the dumbest moment of the week.

— Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2026
There’s a dumb ending, involving the Bewitched theme and Dennis Rodman discussing the perils of adult illiteracy (sure), but everything before that is pretty fun, including the Bumblebee Man turning into a bumblebee and Lisa into Albert Einstein.

— Joshua Kurp, Vulture, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of dumb

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

Adjective

The actor wore a long black leather coat over a simple black tank, paired with straight-leg blue jeans cinched with a leather belt.

— Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2026
The company played with flexible workdays instead of rigid schedules, clearer windows for collaboration, simpler rules for meetings, better ways to share and document work, and more intentional reasons for coming together in person.

— Deborah Lovich, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of simple

Adjective

The public promenade that wraps around the bay in front of the hotel invites walkers, runners, and bikers to explore the historic pathway that leads to the thick, lush pine forest at the edge of the sea.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Oct. 2026
Bake chicken until deeply browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh registers 165°, 25–30 minutes.

— Rebecca Firkser, Bon Appetit Magazine, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of thick

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vacuity

vacuous

vacuum

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Style

“Vacuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vacuous. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of vacuous

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Synonyms of vacuous

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