1
as in devoid
lacking contents that could or should be present
the refrigerator is empty, so we'll have to eat out
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hungry
feeling a desire or need for food
as the long car trip wore on, we all started to feel a little empty
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3
as in meaningless
having no meaning
spare me your empty apologies because if you were truly sorry, you'd change
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in worthless
having no usefulness
an empty task that was assigned just to keep us busy
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5
as in unsuccessful
producing no results
all of the leads in the missing-person case were turning up empty
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6
as in blank
not expressing any emotion
the speaker looked out at a crowd of empty faces
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of empty
Stephen Whyno, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2025
Shoppers have taken to social media to document the egg crisis, sharing photos and videos of empty shelves, limit notices and other shoppers mass purchasing eggs.
—Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2025
Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 16 Feb. 2025
While emptying out the entire federal workforce is not a likely occurrence, receiving a buyout offer of your own is not so far-fetched.
—Amy Lindgren, Twin Cities, 15 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for empty
Adjective
Alex Ovechkin fired a perfect wrist shot past Calvin Pickard for his first goal of the game, scored from his office on the power play for his second and sailed a shot into an empty net from his own zone to complete the hat trick.
—Stephen Whyno, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2025
Shoppers have taken to social media to document the egg crisis, sharing photos and videos of empty shelves, limit notices and other shoppers mass purchasing eggs.
—Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2025
Verb
The extended lead allowed Miami to empty the bench and giving reserves a chance for game reps — just like Miami was also able to do in the first two games of the series after pulling out to big leads early.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 16 Feb. 2025
While emptying out the entire federal workforce is not a likely occurrence, receiving a buyout offer of your own is not so far-fetched.
—Amy Lindgren, Twin Cities, 15 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for empty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for empty
Adjective
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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
-
The medication has hallucinogenic effects that alter the perception of sight and sound and cause users to feel devoid from pain and out of control of their surroundings.—
Jay Stahl,
USA TODAY,
28 Oct. 2023
Adjective
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And in 2023, Jimmy Kimmel anticipated that his audience might be hungry, and stashed snacks underneath their seats (with attendant donations to the L.A. Food Bank).—
Justine Fisher,
People.com,
26 Feb. 2025
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Chelsea’s ownership viewed them all as young, smart, hungry, motivated people at the right point of their respective career arcs.—
Liam Twomey,
The Athletic,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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These were not the actions of a man who considered the game meaningless.—
Arpon Basu,
The Athletic,
17 Feb. 2025
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In the publishing industry, blurbs are somehow both incredibly important and also meaningless, given that most blurbs come through a system that connects the blurber and the book’s author, rather than being an independent, uncompromised judgment.—
John Warner,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The problem with these groups is that not only are you being sold something that is probably close to worthless, but by not dealing directly with an attorney there is no attorney-client privilege which protects the communications between these groups and their clients.—
Jay Adkisson,
Forbes,
25 Feb. 2025
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In a political and social climate ripe with fear and uncertainty, survival can feel like a worthless pursuit, but Black history teaches us how to live in liminality — to embrace the unknown, the in-between, the transitional.—
Mathew Holloway,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The robber was unsuccessful in his attempt to take cash from the register and fled the scene.—
Deanese Williams-Harris,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Feb. 2025
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The team has a full roster of starting pitchers and their attempt to trade him in the off-season was unsuccessful.—
Jean E. Palmieri,
WWD,
18 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Going to Naples with a ‘blank canvas’ Styler has long had a relationship with Italy, having acted in three films in the country in the 1980s and giving birth to her third child, Eliot, in Pisa in 1990.—
Lucy Handley,
CNBC,
28 Feb. 2025
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Fraser’s doofus-y blank face essentially requires his co-stars to do all the work and, uh … ain’t no way Ford’s working that hard.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
18 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
On the morning of Nov. 8, a fire chief made the call via radio to evacuate the eastern side of Paradise at 7:46 a.m.—
Jenny Jarvie,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2025
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Haze or smoke on Delta plane forces passengers to evacuate via slides at Atlanta airport Air traffic controllers could be heard telling the business jet to hold short and not cross the runway, but the jet did not follow instructions.—
Ayesha Ali,
ABC News,
25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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In her first Cowboy Carter teaser during the 2024 Super Bowl, Bey is seen driving a taxi through a barren landscape.—
Rania Aniftos,
Billboard,
19 Feb. 2025
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Is there something about the needy Anja and her ragged child that the barren Isabell responds to?—
Alissa Simon,
Variety,
16 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Empty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/empty. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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