VACANT Synonyms: 185 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

vacant

adjective

ˈvā-kənt

Definition of vacant

as in empty

lacking contents that could or should be present a vacant room that could be converted into a classroom

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in dormant

not being in a state of use, activity, or employment looking for vacant land on which to build a house

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in blank

not expressing any emotion the prisoner's vacant and distracted expression

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in deserted

left unoccupied or unused police discovered that vagrants had been sleeping in the vacant warehouse

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 The bathhouse, which has been under National Park Service oversight since 1972, sat vacant for decades apart from offices and storage. — Elle McLogan, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026 The home sits right next to several others in the Upper Hastings Ranch neighborhood that are still vacant while they're being repaired or rebuilt after the Eaton Fire. — Abigail Velez, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026 The other seat has been vacant for almost two years after the sudden resignation of Dwight Worden in September 2024 due to health concerns. — Luke Harold, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Aug. 2026 The 1936 bottling plant sat vacant for years after shuttering in 2013. — Sacbee.com, 15 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for vacant

Recent Examples of Synonyms for vacant

Adjective

After coming up empty all night, the Angels finally broke the scoreless tie in the eighth.

— Kyle Glaser, Oc Register, 16 Aug. 2026
The luxury pods — complete with lie-flat beds and sliding privacy doors — could be entirely off-limits when departure day rolls around, sitting completely empty at 35,000 feet.

— Edward Russell, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of empty

Adjective

Hooping now has become a form of reclamation, an outlet for recovering a childhood joy that sat dormant for years.

— Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
The development had gone dormant by the time DeFaria was brought in by his old colleagues to revive the project.

— David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of dormant

Adjective

The red-brick Southeast Lighthouse, perched atop the Mohegan Bluffs, is all but deserted.

— Lindsay Cohn, Travel + Leisure, 9 Aug. 2026
As long a there’s a full-serve station within a mile or two, in the middle of the night, your car will wander off down deserted streets at low speed, and fill up.

— Brad Templeton, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of deserted

Adjective

The Bears will practice Sunday afternoon, which is expected to be mostly the first-team players who did not play in the game, before an off day Monday.

— Kevin Fishbain, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026
Mehidy then produced a superb delivery that straightened past the bat of Beau Webster (5) and clipped the top of off stump to have Australia at 6-193, still trailing by 35 runs and with the tail exposed.

— ABC News, ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of off

Adjective

At least 14 artisanal miners are dead and scores are injured at a disused mine in South Africa, police said Tuesday.

— ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
Motion opened the gallery in Kings Cross in a disused betting parlor next door to a kebab shop in 2016 while also holding down a day job.

— Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of disused

Adjective

Much of the lunar surface is pretty barren, but the South Pole, and Shackleton Crater in particular, offers some of the most coveted real estate there.

— Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 18 Aug. 2026
Despite being named after a mineral that’s most often found in barren deserts, turquoise nails are making a splash this summer.

— Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of barren

Browse Nearby Words

vacancy

vacant

vacantness

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“Vacant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vacant. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of vacant

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