vacant

adjective

ˈvā-kənt How to pronounce vacant (audio)
Definition of vacantnext
1
as in empty
lacking contents that could or should be present a vacant room that could be converted into a classroom

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dormant
not being in a state of use, activity, or employment looking for vacant land on which to build a house

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in blank
not expressing any emotion the prisoner's vacant and distracted expression

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in deserted
left unoccupied or unused police discovered that vagrants had been sleeping in the vacant warehouse

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 Suhr is being considered by the White House to fill a vacant seat on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. —Chris Ramirez, jsonline.com, 22 July 2025 The trustees also approved the appointment of Magnolia School District Superintendent John Ward to an administrator trustee position that became vacant with the resignation on June 30 of former Lake Hamilton School District Superintendent Shawn Higginbotham, who has retired. —Arkansas Online, 21 July 2025 In their place, young first-round picks Tyler Guyton and Tyler Booker will look to fill the huge vacant shoes (both literally and figuratively). —Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 July 2025 Manny Pacquiao The 30-year-old Barrios won the vacant WBC interim welterweight title in September 2023 with a unanimous decision over Yordenis Ugás. —Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 13 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for vacant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vacant
  1. empty
  2. dormant
  3. blank
  4. devoid
  5. off
  6. disused
  7. barren
  8. unused
Adjective
  • Pre-ride preparation is key—ensuring all devices are charged, storage cards are empty, and connections are made before kickstands go up.
    — Shelby Knick, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025
  • In his debut in the Red-White game, Gardner stopped 14 of 17 shots in a 4-3 shootout loss, but two of the goals came on the power play, and the other was with the opposing net empty.
    — Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 31 July 2025
Definition of empty
Adjective
  • What should be a tender, feminist-minded story centered on a young woman rediscovering her dormant childhood dreamer turns into a middling melodrama about being with a cute guy in desperate need of her rescue.
    — Courtney Howard, Variety, 1 Aug. 2025
  • After remission, cancer cells may remain dormant for years before spreading— notably in the lungs or other organs—and causing a relapse.
    — Hannah Millington, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 July 2025
Definition of dormant
Adjective
  • Some daily planners do contain sections of blank, unlined paper, which can be used for anything from goal mapping to self-reflection for light bullet journaling.
    — BestReviews, Mercury News, 31 July 2025
  • The idea of an amnesiac protagonist with a name as bland as John Doe seemed like a shortcut to having a blank protagonist at the start of the show, but this season is finally starting to explore the character of John in interesting ways, allowing Mackie to balance his humor with some gravitas.
    — Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 31 July 2025
Definition of blank
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
Definition of devoid
Adjective
  • Pete Crow-Armstrong, Justin Turner and more were in attendance, taking advantage of the Cubs having an off day after several of them put in a shift signing autographs at The National earlier in the day.
    — The Athletic Collectibles Staff, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2025
  • The attacker, 27-year-old Shane Devon Tamura, entered the office tower with an assault rifle and body armor, fatally shooting a security guard, a Blackstone executive, a Rudin Management associate, and an off-duty NYPD officer before taking his own life.
    — Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 31 July 2025
Definition of off
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
Definition of disused
Adjective
  • Then there is Canada and Greenland’s beef over the uninhabited Hans Island, a barren spit in the Kennedy Channel.
    — Charlie Campbell, Time, 25 July 2025
  • Brown, barren, patchy spots in your lawn can be unsightly.
    — Cody Godwin, USA Today, 24 July 2025
Definition of barren
Adjective
  • This includes physical assets like IT hardware, networking equipment and office infrastructure, but also intangible assets like intellectual property, unused software licenses, real estate and even entire business units that no longer align with the company’s strategic goals.
    — Albert Golukhov, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025
  • But other times, windows would be rearranged seemingly at random, with unused space and weird gaps that require you to fuss around and move all your windows around again.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 24 July 2025
Definition of unused

Browse Nearby Words

vacancy
vacant
vacantness
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Cite this Entry

“Vacant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vacant. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.

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