emptiness

Noun
US[emp-tee-nuhs]/ˈɛmptinəs/3 syllablesalso [em-tee-nuhs] /ˈɛmtinəs/
Synonyms: voidvacancyvacuumvanity

Open English WordNet

Noun (4)

  1. the state of containing nothingOpposite fullnessType of condition, statusKinds vacuum, vacancy, hollowness, blankness
  2. having an empty stomachType of hunger, hungriness
  3. an empty area or space“the huge desert voids”“the emptiness of outer space”“without their support he'll be ruling in a vacuum”Synonyms: voidvacancyvacuumType of space
  4. the quality of being valueless or futile“he rejected the vanities of the world”Synonyms: vanityType of worthlessness, ineptitude

Related words empty adjective, vain adjective

Word of the day · Nov 12About this word
diligentadjective

What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz

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Webster's Dictionary (1913)

Emp′ti·ness noun

Origin: From Empty.

1. The state of being empty; absence of contents; void space; vacuum; as, the emptiness of a vessel; emptiness of the stomach.

2. Want of solidity or substance; unsatisfactoriness; inability to satisfy desire; vacuity; hollowness; as, the emptiness of earthly glory.

3. Want of knowledge; lack of sense; vacuity of mind.

Eternal smiles his emptiness betray.— Alexander Pope
The sins of emptiness, gossip, and spite.— Alfred Tennyson

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54

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