emptiness

emptiness — noun

1. a physical area or container that has nothing inside it, or the condition of bei

1.nounB1
Definition

a physical area or container that has nothing inside it, or the condition of being completely without contents.

Example

The vast emptiness of the desert stretched for miles before Sade's eyes.

collocation: vast emptiness of [a place]

Camila tapped the wall to confirm the emptiness behind the wooden panel.

Common collocations
  • vast emptiness
  • complete emptiness
  • emptiness of [a place]
Synonyms
  • void

    emphasises a large, often unsettling empty area (outer space, a gap left by loss)

  • vacuum

    scientific term for matter-free space; also used metaphorically for absence of something expected

  • blankness

    refers specifically to empty surfaces like paper or screens, or expressionless faces

Antonyms
  • fullness

    the state of being filled with contents

Grammar Patterns

the emptiness of [place]

[adjective] emptiness

Usage Note

Emptiness in this sense describes a general condition of being without contents. Use 'empty space' or 'gap' for specific physical locations, and 'void' for a large, unfilled area.

Common Mistakes

There was an emptiness between the two buildings.
There was an empty space between the two buildings.
'emptiness' describes a general state, not a specific gap.

2. when something has no real value, meaning, or honest intent — for example, the e

2.nounB2
Definition

when something has no real value, meaning, or honest intent — for example, the emptiness of a political promise that sounds good but says nothing.

Example

The emptiness of the politician's speech disappointed everyone who had come to listen.

Mizuki saw through the emptiness of the brand's promises about saving the environment.

collocation: emptiness of [promises / speeches / claims]

Common collocations
  • emptiness of [a speech / promise]
  • moral emptiness
  • spiritual emptiness
Synonyms
  • hollowness

    similar but emphasises the insincerity or deceptive appearance of something

  • futility

    stresses uselessness and pointlessness rather than lack of meaning

  • meaninglessness

    more direct and literal; less common in everyday speech

Antonyms
  • substance

    having real value, meaning, or sincere intent

  • depth

    richness of meaning or thought

Grammar Patterns

the emptiness of [abstract noun]

[possessive] emptiness

Usage Note

Often followed by an 'of'-phrase naming the thing that lacks sincerity or meaning (the emptiness of their promises, the emptiness of modern life). Subject is typically an abstract thing: speech, promise, relationship, ritual.

Common Mistakes

The speech had a lot of emptiness.
The speech was full of emptiness.
'emptiness' is not used with 'a lot of'; use 'full of emptiness' or 'the emptiness of the speech.'

3. a deep, painful sense that your life has no direction, value, or emotional conne

3.nounB2
Definition

a deep, painful sense that your life has no direction, value, or emotional connection — like the emptiness a person feels after losing someone close.

Example

After her father passed away, Aoi felt a deep emptiness that nothing could fill.

Christopher hid his emptiness behind a cheerful smile, but his coworkers noticed the change.

Common collocations
  • deep emptiness
  • profound emptiness
  • inner emptiness
  • feeling of emptiness
Synonyms
  • hollowness

    similar emotional sense, emphasising a lack of inner substance or warmth

  • desolation

    stronger, suggesting utter loneliness and abandonment

  • void

    metaphorical use of an empty space inside oneself

Antonyms
  • fulfilment

    a feeling of satisfaction and purpose in life

  • purpose

    a clear sense of direction and meaning

Grammar Patterns

a feeling of emptiness

[possessive] emptiness

emptiness + inside [person]

Usage Note

Distinguish from loneliness (which is about missing specific people) and depression (a broader clinical condition). Emptiness here is a feeling of internal hollowness or lack of purpose that may persist even when surrounded by others.

Common Mistakes

I felt emptiness when I missed the bus.
I felt a sense of emptiness after my best friend moved abroad.
'emptiness' in this sense is too strong for minor disappointments; reserve it for significant emotional loss.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Emptiness is the broadest term, describing any space or container without contents — a room, a desert, or a suitcase. Void suggests a much larger, often unsettling empty area, like the void of outer space or a void left by someone's death. Vacuum is a precise scientific term for a space with no matter, but is also used metaphorically for an absence where something is expected (a leadership vacuum). Blankness refers specifically to empty surfaces such as paper or screens, or to a lack of expression on a face. Bareness describes a space that has been stripped of what normally fills it — bare walls, bare shelves. You might say the emptiness of the desert felt peaceful, while the void of space was terrifying. The blankness of the page frustrated the writer, but the bareness of the exhibition hall after the show felt depressing.

emptiness ↗void ↗vacuum ↗blanknessbareness

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • feeling of emptiness
  • sense of emptiness

Prepositions

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Comes from Old English ǣmettig ('empty, at leisure, unmarried') combined with the suffix -ness ('state or quality'). The word ǣmettig originally meant 'having leisure time' because it came from ǣmetta ('leisure, rest'), which traced back to a Proto-Germanic root meaning 'to spare or rest.' Over time the meaning shifted from 'not occupied with work' to 'containing nothing.' By the 1500s, writers had begun using emptiness to describe emotional and spiritual loss, not just physical absence.