Synonyms of vacuous

vacuous

adjective

ˈva-kyə-wəs 

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

• devoid
• empty
• barren
• blank
• vacant
• void
• hollow
• clean
• drained
• stark
• bare
• emptied
• toom
• open
• deserted
• uninhabited
• unfilled
• clear
• available
• free
• unoccupied
• depleted
• dry
• unfurnished
• unattended
• exhausted
• vacated
• abandoned
• forsaken

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• full
• complete
• replete
• provided
• filled
• furnished
• occupied
• supplied
• overflowing
• packed
• flush
• teeming

2

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

• stupid
• dumb
• slow
• simple
• thick
• dull
• dense
• idiotic
• fatuous
• foolish
• ignorant
• unintelligent
• mindless
• doltish
• dopey
• obtuse
• brainless
• witless
• silly
• brain-dead
• opaque
• soft
• dim
• empty-headed
• oafish
• pinheaded
• senseless
• irrational
• dunderheaded
• boneheaded
• thickheaded
• gormless
• unreasonable
• dorky
• dopy
• weak-minded
• softheaded
• airheaded
• insane
• bonehead
• lamebrained
• dim-witted
• lamebrain
• mad
• idiotical
• bubbleheaded
• moronic
• crazy
• lunkheaded
• half-witted
• thick-witted
• slow-witted
• chuckleheaded
• unsmart
• knuckleheaded
• looney
• cretinous
• absurd
• imbecilic
• birdbrained
• lunatic
• imbecile
• simpleminded
• unintellectual
• uninformed
• feebleminded
• uneducated
• unthinking
• nonsensical
• lowbrow
• asinine
• fool
• illogical
• illiterate
• zany
• dippy
• preposterous
• whacky
• untaught
• loony
• daft
• invalid
• fallacious
• cuckoo
• sappy
• daffy
• nutty
• kooky
• unwise
• wacky
• dotty
• harebrained
• crackpot
• screwball
• half-baked
• balmy
• cockeyed
• boobish
• tomfool
• kookie
• featherheaded

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• brilliant
• intelligent
• clever
• bright
• apt
• quick
• smart
• sharp
• ingenious
• acute
• fast
• intellectual
• nimble
• keen
• resourceful
• wise
• cerebral
• insightful
• thinking
• brainy
• astute
• perceptive
• erudite
• sagacious
• knowing
• savvy
• scholarly
• keen
• discerning
• knowledgeable
• quick-witted
• literate
• sharp-witted
• sage
• skilled
• ultrasmart
• supersmart
• hyperintelligent
• learned
• perspicacious
• sound
• highbrow
• educated
• informed
• cunning
• shrewd
• reasonable
• sensible
• logical
• valid
• trained
• wily
• sapient
• crafty
• rational
• percipient
• sane
• prudent
• judicious
• well-read
• foxy
• schooled

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

Recent Examples of vacuous

As Paul Fussell observed in The Great War and Modern Memory, a distrust of vacuous language was a hallmark of the words on tombstones at the Somme, not the solemn slogans written by Rudyard Kipling but the inscriptions composed by the families of the dead. —Karen Parker Lears, Harper's Magazine, 2 Dec. 2024

Any clever editor can bend them to accommodate the raison d’etre of all but the most vacuous pieces of journalism. —Andrew Wallenstein, Variety, 11 Dec. 2024

The songs almost never advanced plot, and instead over-indulged in vacuous character study. —Samantha Allen, Them, 4 Oct. 2024

First is Google’s plan to cull low-quality apps from Play Store, which should raise the bar materially and cut out much of the vacuous content littering users’ phones. —Zak Doffman, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024

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