SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
vacuous
adjective
Lacking meaningful thought, substance, or ideas.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Lacking thought or substance
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topVacuous criticizes a lack of meaningful content or thought. Vacant can describe expression, while insubstantial may simply mean lacking weight or detail.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See vacuous in use
The essay's vacuous opening offered praise without making a claim.
Another sentence was vacuous, praising the work as wonderfully wonderful without conveying a meaningful idea.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license