emptiness

noun

Definition of emptinessnext
1
as in hunger
a need or desire for food the emptiness that usually sets in about three o'clock in the afternoon

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2
as in void
empty space there in the vast emptiness of the desert was a long-abandoned jeep

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in vacancy
the quality or state of being empty the emptiness of the interior of the isolated house just made it seem all the more eerie

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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 emptiness However, at the quantum level, emptiness is filled with unwanted noise. — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 22 Aug. 2026 The problem isn’t the characterization, since the surgeon is extremely well drawn and Văncică’s performance picks up on both the overall inner emptiness and the yearning for something more. — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 14 Aug. 2026 If the early universe obeyed this rule, our modern cosmos would be devoid of substance, just energy fields rippling eternally through emptiness. — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 13 Aug. 2026 The world’s complexity and emptiness simultaneously filled the church. — Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026 Gone are the extended multi-part suites and intricate guitar workouts, replaced by slight, tender melodies engulfed in a striking emptiness. — Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 19 July 2026 Years of waiting for his return were answered with disappointing emptiness, a frustration that could be permanent if McGregor never sets foot in another octagon. — Mark Puleo, New York Times, 12 July 2026 Here, emptiness is not vacancy, but composure, proportion and room for thought. — Spencer Elliott, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026 Not even foundations are visible, and a long gravel road toward that part of the island leads past occasional farms and vast swaths of emptiness and then, finally, to a muddy riverbank thick with mosquitos. — Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for emptiness
  1. hunger
  2. void
  3. vacancy
  4. stomach
  5. blankness
  6. vacuum
  7. appetite
  8. blank
Noun
  • Pausing midway through a meal to check in with your hunger is a good rule of thumb, and boxing half of a meal at a restaurant to bring home can also help.
    — Gavin Escott, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Glosson believes the biggest factor was a decline in the number of families receiving food assistance — though the need to help ease hunger is still there.
    — Juliana Kim, NPR, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of hunger
Noun
  • Van Noy, 35, will fill a major void for the Vikings as depth behind starting edge rushers Andrew Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner.
    — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The result is an enigmatic relationship between figure and ground, mass and void.
    — Katy Barkan, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of void
Noun
  • The bigger challenge will be the capacity to deliver results with a US diplomatic apparatus weakened by staffing cuts and vacancies.
    — Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The Aurora City Council would have 30 days to fill the vacancy, and if there’s more than 13 months remaining in the term, then a special election would be held to fill the seat within nine months.
    — Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of vacancy
Noun
  • Salmonella infection can cause diarrhea, fever, stomach cramps, nausea and vomiting, according to the CDC.
    — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
  • How do your feelings about your stomach affect your daily life?
    — Margaret Cirino, NPR, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of stomach
Noun
  • Not only do the records feature scuff marks and price tags, but poems and doodles—as if the blankness was begging to be filled in.
    — Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 24 May 2026
  • The terrifying blankness of James Raterman’s military interrogator.
    — Nate Jones, Vulture, 16 Mar. 2026
Definition of blankness
Noun
  • The Navy needs more capable leaders; instead, an artificial leadership vacuum is being forced upon it from above.
    — Andrea N. Goldstein, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The operation includes precision machining of heat sink structures and vacuum brazing.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of vacuum
Noun
  • Long-standing problems and new barriers are combining to make a career in dietetics less appealing and less financially feasible, just as the nation is increasing its appetite for nutrition in health care.
    — Lauren Chan, STAT, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Customers from the Middle East and Southeast Asia have also expressed an appetite for the brand.
    — Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of appetite
Noun
  • Once these new worlds are spotted by Roman, the more powerful and sensitive Webb will take aim to fill in the blanks.
    — Marcia Dunn, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2026
  • In the meantime, former staff is filling in the blanks left by the missing report.
    — Krista Kafer, Denver Post, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of blank

Browse Nearby Words

empties
emptiness
empty
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Cite this Entry

“Emptiness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/emptiness. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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