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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective vacant contrast with its synonyms?

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

a vacant apartment

When can blank be used instead of vacant?

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

a blank wall

When would empty be a good substitute for vacant?

In some situations, the words empty and vacant are roughly equivalent. However, empty suggests a complete absence of contents.

an empty bucket

When is vacuous a more appropriate choice than vacant?

While the synonyms vacuous and vacant are close in meaning, 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 void instead of vacant?

The words void and vacant are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, 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 vacant Two weeks ago, in response to a lawsuit filed by Castillo against the city, the council and the city manager, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge issued a temporary restraining order preventing Huntington Park from filling the vacant seat. Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2025 The project would be located where the vacant former Mary Ann’s Bakery warehouses now sit, along Alhambra Boulevard between 30th, C and D streets. Theresa Clift, Sacbee.com, 16 Apr. 2025 The 27-year-old Ennis (33-0-0-1 with 29 knockouts) won the vacant IBF interim welterweight crown in January 2023 with a unanimous decision victory over Karen Chukhadzhian. Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025 The now vacant patch of land is roughly a mile west of Interstate 35W, within walking distance of a post office, a gas station, a high school and miles of subdivisions. Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for vacant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vacant
Adjective
  • Imagine nearly every seat in Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center − over 20,000 seats − are empty.
    Kymberlee Montgomery, The Conversation, 14 Apr. 2025
  • On a rainy morning, the restaurant, made up of a few four-seat tables leading to the stage area, was mostly empty.
    Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Instead of coddling grass with irrigation and fertilizer to prevent it from going dormant, embrace this natural response.
    Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Apr. 2025
  • This allows the rooted cutting a full growing season to develop before becoming dormant in the winter.
    Quincy Bulin, Southern Living, 12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The film, with humor and authenticity, delves into the fallout from his audacious act — delivering two blank canvases while withholding the 532,000 Danish kroner paid to him by the commissioning museum.
    Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 16 Apr. 2025
  • While a decline in sailings could lead to a drop in prices, during Covid, blank sailings were identified by shippers around the world as a reason for container rates that spiked as high as $30,000.
    Lori Ann LaRocco, CNBC, 16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Banking has become functionally correct but emotionally devoid, with the industry swimming in a sea of sameness.
    Michael Abbott, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
  • Delle, devoid for so long from its intrinsic need for social interaction might be filling in the gaps by talking to himself.
    Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 14 Feb. 2023
Adjective
  • Last-minute fixes were still being made, and some Cubs players trickled into the clubhouse to put stuff in their lockers or work out on their off day.
    Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 4 Apr. 2025
  • Stewart’s on-field production left a lot to be desired last year, but his motor doesn’t have an off switch.
    Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • On his release, Stern went on to spend the 1950s ping-ponging between New York and California, for a time living on a disused laundry barge in Sausalito.
    News Desk, Artforum, 3 Mar. 2025
  • One of the most powerful scenes in Sugarcane takes place in a disused barn where, over a period of decades, Indigenous children worked under the lash.
    Matthew Carey, Deadline, 8 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • So, why would an elite striker commit to two potentially barren years?
    Mark Carey, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
  • The project’s fertilizer by-product will support farmers and transform barren land into fertile farmland, according to Prasad.
    Ian Sayson, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Any unused bonus will expire after seven days. 21+ and present in participating states.
    Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Apr. 2025
  • Cards will be loaded with $22 per day, and any unused amount will be forfeited at the end of the day with no rollover.
    Madison E. Goldberg, People.com, 17 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Vacant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vacant. Accessed 28 Apr. 2025.

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