vacuous

adjective

vac·u·ous | \ ˈva-kyə-wəs

Definition of vacuous

1 : emptied of or lacking content

2 : marked by lack of ideas or intelligence : stupid, inane a vacuous mind a vacuous movie

3 : devoid of serious occupation : idle

Other Words from vacuous Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about vacuous

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Synonyms & Antonyms for vacuous

Synonyms

bare, blank, clean, devoid, empty, stark, toom [chiefly Scottish], vacant, void

Antonyms

full

Choose the Right Synonym for vacuous

empty, vacant, blank, void, vacuous mean lacking contents which could or should be present. empty suggests a complete absence of contents. an empty bucket vacant suggests an absence of appropriate contents or occupants. a vacant apartment blank stresses the absence of any significant, relieving, or intelligible features on a surface. a blank wall void suggests absolute emptiness as far as the mind or senses can determine. a statement void of meaning vacuous suggests the emptiness of a vacuum and especially the lack of intelligence or significance. a vacuous facial expression

Did You Know?

As you might have guessed, "vacuous" shares the same root as "vacuum"-the Latin adjective vacuus, meaning "empty." This root also gave us the noun "vacuity" (the oldest meaning of which is "an empty space") as well as the verb "evacuate" (originally meaning "to empty of contents"). Its predecessor, the verb "vacare," is also an ancestor of the words "vacation" and "vacancy" as well as "void." All of these words suggest an emptiness of space, or else a fleeing of people or things from one place to another. "Vacuous" appeared in English in the middle of the 17th century, at first literally describing something that was empty. It acquired its figurative usage, describing one who is lacking any substance of the mind, in the mid-1800s.

Examples of vacuous in a Sentence

a dull and vacuous movie He had a vacuous expression on his face.

Recent Examples on the Web

The nihilistic gewgaw, vacuous and vulgar, instead embodies the mythos that can be manufactured in a crude market-culture that primarily values art as a luxury asset. — Los Angeles Times, "Review: Unicorns are just one of the wild rides in the Getty’s marvelous ‘Book of Beasts’," 23 July 2019 Miller-Weston also brings a kind of exquisitely offhand viciousness to the vacuous Mrs. Wormwood, and has a hands-down hilarious scene with her alarmingly limber dance teacher Rudolpho (a memorable Ala Tiatia). — James Hebert, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Review: ‘Matilda’ and its ‘revolting children’ make for an entertainingly barbed musical comedy at Moonlight," 19 July 2019 Like our vacuous and reprehensible president, Gardner is not fit to represent the citizens of Colorado. — Dp Opinion, The Denver Post, "Letters: How are deportations a problem now and not under Obama? (7/18/19)," 18 July 2019 Get our daily newsletter Many foreign leaders have realised that Mr Trump enjoys vacuous flattery. — The Economist, "Trump Heights, Binyamin Netanyahu’s tribute to America’s president," 22 June 2019 Will the Oscars turn into a political rally as actor after vacuous actor denounces the Republican Party? — Gerard Baker, WSJ, "Resolutions, Predictions and Other Exercises in Futility," 28 Dec. 2018 Others of us wanted to believe a megalomaniacal celebrity who married into a vacuous reality-television family was a counterculture revolutionary capable of making a nouveau black power album. — T.d. Williams, The Root, "How the West Was Lost," 26 Apr. 2018 Meanwhile, the vacuous Nasir, Nas’s first album since his 2012 post-divorce record, Life Is Good, neglected to address the fact that ex-wife, Kelis, had recounted details of Nas’s alleged abuse just weeks prior to the album’s release. — Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, "Teyana Taylor’s Music Has Matured, but Has Her Label?," 25 June 2018 Whether Barbie is a propagandist tool for unrealistic expectations or merely a reflection of an already existing blond, white, skinny and somewhat vacuous ideal is not really something the film confronts head-on. — John Anderson, WSJ, "‘Tiny Shoulders: Rethinking Barbie’ Review: A Brand Tries to Doll Up Its Image," 26 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'vacuous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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More Definitions for vacuous

vacuous

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of vacuous

formal : having or showing a lack of intelligence or serious thought : lacking meaning, importance, or substance

See the full definition for vacuous in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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vacuous

Definition of vacuous

Other Words from vacuous

Synonyms & Antonyms for vacuous

Choose the Right Synonym for vacuous

Did You Know?

Examples of vacuous in a Sentence

First Known Use of vacuous

History and Etymology for vacuous

English Language Learners Definition of vacuous

vacuous

Definition of vacuous

Other Words from vacuous

Synonyms & Antonyms for vacuous

Choose the Right Synonym for vacuous

Did You Know?

Examples of vacuous in a Sentence

First Known Use of vacuous

History and Etymology for vacuous

English Language Learners Definition of vacuous

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