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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Few commentators have paid much attention to these parallels, partly because the two presidents’ personalities are so different, partly because paying tribute to Reagan has long been a vacuous ritual for Republican candidates.
—
Niall Ferguson, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for vacuous
Niall Ferguson, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for vacuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vacuous
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
-
His is a sort of erudite buffoonery that consistently tap-dances between clever, self-aware, and patently stupid.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
22 Mar. 2025
-
Each of them loses track of a CD filled with secrets, and some end up dying in the stupidest possible ways because of their incompetence.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
At the end of the family's very eventful day, Duggar and Wissmann sat around a quiet, unlit campfire with many empty camping chairs waiting for the rest of the family to arrive.—
Rachel Flynn,
People.com,
21 Mar. 2025
-
From 65 million to 80 million housing units across China are estimated to be empty.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Ratajkowski has been fighting the stereotype of the dumb model from the beginning of her career.—
Daniel Jackson,
Allure,
18 July 2017
-
Ninety nine percent of all NFL players are explicitly not dumb.—
Andy Benoit,
The MMQB,
10 July 2017
Adjective
-
This is where the montage sequences get really aggressive, assaulting the viewer with imagery of barren alien landscapes and skulls with the flesh melting off of their faces.—
Katie Rife,
IndieWire,
12 Mar. 2025
-
Even along the relatively mild coasts, where summer temperatures hover just below freezing, the land is a barren expanse of rock, ice and snow.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes,
8 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Don’t confuse grilling with smoking though—the basic difference is smoking is a slow process where food is cooked at low temperatures for a long period while grilling requires high heat applied over a short burst of time.—
Carrie Honaker,
Southern Living,
19 Mar. 2025
-
Plan For Possible Delays: Given the potential for slower processing, apply well before needing benefits.—
Shahar Ziv,
Forbes,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Martha Stewart and Mila Kunis carried ones that looked like this simple option.—
Clint Davis,
People.com,
23 Mar. 2025
-
Murena Pixel Tablet Apps Switching away from Google's flavor of Android will always result in an app gap, and there's no simple way around it.—
Ewan Spence,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The toughest part involved fishing some stiff, thick wire through a space between the coolant tank and a metal bracket (which the manual warned about).—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
17 Mar. 2025
-
Many communities are losing their water sources from glacier melt, while others are seeing local streams discolored and turned toxic by recently exposed rocks full of heavy metals and which were once covered by thick sheets of ice.—
Simeon Tegel,
NPR,
17 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vacuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vacuous. Accessed 30 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share