vacuous

[ vak-yoo-uhs ]

adjective

1. without contents; empty:

   the vacuous air.

2. lacking in ideas or intelligence:

   a vacuous mind.

3. expressing or characterized by a lack of ideas or intelligence; inane; stupid:

   a vacuous book.

4. purposeless; idle:

   a vacuous way of life.

vacuous

/ ˈvækjʊəs /

adjective

1. containing nothing; empty
2. bereft of ideas or intelligence; mindless
3. characterized by or resulting from vacancy of mind

   a vacuous gaze

4. indulging in no useful mental or physical activity; idle
5. logic maths (of an operator or expression) having no import; idle: in (x) (John is tall) the quantifier (x) is vacuous

Derived Forms

• ˈvacuousness, noun
• ˈvacuously, adverb

Other Words From

• vacu·ous·ly adverb
• vacu·ous·ness noun
• non·vacu·ous adjective
• non·vacu·ous·ly adverb
• non·vacu·ous·ness noun
• un·vacu·ous adjective
• un·vacu·ous·ly adverb
• un·vacu·ous·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of vacuous¹

1645–55; from Latin vacuus “empty”; -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of vacuous¹

C17: from Latin vacuus empty, from vacāre to be empty

Example Sentences

Instead, the film includes a lineup of Kipchoge admirers describing his greatness in the same lofty, but ultimately vacuous terms that we’ve heard a thousand times before.

From Outside Online

The Daily Telegraph's Lisa Armstrong called the show a "stupendously vacuous enterprise."

From The Daily Beast

In the tape, the bull looks bored, wearing that peculiarly vacuous expression that only cows and bulls can know.

From The Daily Beast

Smith speaks with perfect articulation and a vacuous undertone laces her words.

From The Daily Beast

The assumption that feminism comes in a neat, Xeroxable package is gravely outmoded and vacuous.

From The Daily Beast

Speaking of Daisy, Mulligan does as elegant a job as possible portraying such a vacuous character.

From The Daily Beast

"It comes to this," drawled Average Jones intently, looking the employee between his vacuous eyes.

From Project Gutenberg

Gossip must often have been likened to the winged insect bearing pollen to the flowers; it fertilizes many a vacuous reverie.

From Project Gutenberg

Lady Mary smiled at this vacuous repetition, but her mother went into a great rage, opening her old jaws like a maddened horse.

From Project Gutenberg

She submitted to the other's will like a tired child, dropping into a chair and eyeing him with a vacuous expression.

From Project Gutenberg

She knew neither of them, and they were immature boys, with the empty and vacuous faces of almost degenerate illiteracy.

From Project Gutenberg