What does "emptiness" mean?
The state or feeling of being empty.
Emptiness
name, noun
name, noun ·3 syllables ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The state or feeling of being empty.
- Grammar: emptiness is listed as name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: vacuum, void, absence, absence of mind.
- Useful contrasts: content word, full, galician espazo.
- Usage evidence: Life is all about filling up the emptiness inside. Work, alcohol, music, we all have our substitutes for love.
How to use "emptiness"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "emptiness" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "emptiness" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "emptiness" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "emptiness" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "emptiness" is acting as name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "vacuum" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "emptiness", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The state or feeling of being empty. countable, uncountable
- 2 the quality of being valueless or futile wordnet
- 3 A void; a nothingness; something lacking existence. countable, uncountable
"Few people without a training in science can realise the huge isolation of the solar system. The sun with its specks of planets, its dust of planetoids, and its impalpable comets, swims in a vacant immensity that almost defeats the imagination. Beyond the orbit of Neptune there is space, vacant so far as human observation has penetrated, without warmth or light or sound, blank emptiness, for twenty million times a million miles. That is the smallest estimate of the distance to be traversed before the very nearest of the stars is attained."
- 4 an empty area or space wordnet
- 5 A nonexistence; a lack of existence. countable, uncountable
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 having an empty stomach wordnet
- 7 the state of containing nothing wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A Chinese constellation near Aquarius and Equuleus, one of the 28 lunar mansions and part of the Black Turtle.
Antonyms
Example
"Life is all about filling up the emptiness inside. Work, alcohol, music, we all have our substitutes for love."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "emptiness"?
Common synonyms include: vacuum, void, absence, absence of mind, absurdity, abyss.
How do you use "emptiness" in a sentence?
Life is all about filling up the emptiness inside. Work, alcohol, music, we all have our substitutes for love.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Inherited from Middle English emptynesse, from Old English ǣmtiġnes. By surface analysis, empty + -ness.
Etymology 2
Calque from Chinese 虛宿／虚宿 (Xūxiù).