empty

empty — adjective

1. having nothing at all inside — for example, a room with no furniture, a pocket w

1.adjectiveA2
Definition

having nothing at all inside — for example, a room with no furniture, a pocket with nothing in it, or a container that has had all its contents removed.

Example

The kitchen cupboard was completely empty, so we had to go shopping.

collocation: completely empty

Adisa opened his wallet and saw that it was completely empty.

Common collocations
  • completely empty
  • half empty
  • stood empty
  • empty seat
  • empty house
  • empty space
  • empty bottle
Synonyms
  • vacant

    used for buildings, rooms, or seats that are unoccupied but available to be filled

  • bare

    describes a surface without its usual covering, like bare walls

  • hollow

    describes something with an empty space inside its structure, like a hollow log

Antonyms
  • full

    the direct opposite — containing as much as possible

  • packed

    very full, often of people or things tightly together

  • occupied

    describes a space that is currently being used by someone

Common Mistakes

The page is empty' (when you mean no writing on paper).
The page is blank.
'empty' describes a space with nothing inside; 'blank' describes a surface with no marks or writing.

2. describes words, promises, or actions that seem to say something but lack real f

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

describes words, promises, or actions that seem to say something but lack real feeling, truth, or effect — for example, a promise the speaker never intends to keep, or a threat with no real force behind it.

Example

The politician's promises sounded empty to voters who had heard them before.

collocation: empty promise

After the argument, Shirin's apology felt empty and insincere to everyone present.

structure: feel empty + adjective

Common collocations
  • empty promise
  • empty threat
  • empty words
  • empty gesture
  • empty phrases
  • ring empty
  • sound empty
Synonyms
  • hollow

    stronger emotional tone, suggesting something is not just insincere but also deceptive

  • meaningless

    focuses on the lack of value or significance rather than sincerity

  • insincere

    more direct about the intent to deceive

Antonyms
  • sincere

    the direct opposite — genuine and from the heart

  • meaningful

    full of real significance or purpose

  • genuine

    truly felt or intended

Usage Note

Commonly paired with nouns like promise, threat, words, gesture, or phrases. Not used for physical objects or spaces.

Common Mistakes

I received an empty email with no text.' (when the email has no content).
I received a blank email.
'empty' is for insincerity, not for absence of content on a page.

3. feeling that life, time, or daily activities have no meaning, value, or goal — o

3.adjectiveB2
Definition

feeling that life, time, or daily activities have no meaning, value, or goal — often after a sad or disappointing event such as a loss or a major change.

Example

After losing his job at the factory, Vikram felt empty and purposeless for months.

collocation: feel empty and purposeless

Liam's days felt empty after his best friend moved to another country.

Common collocations
  • feel empty
  • felt empty
  • empty inside
  • empty life
  • empty days
  • leave someone feeling empty
Synonyms
  • hollow

    more visceral, suggesting a painful void inside

  • purposeless

    focuses specifically on lack of direction or goal

  • meaningless

    emphasises that nothing seems to matter

Antonyms

Usage Note

Typically describes a person's emotional state or a period of time in their life. The subject is usually a person (I feel empty) or a period (my days felt empty). Not used for physical objects.

Common Mistakes

The fridge looks empty after the party' (meaning not full).
The fridge looks bare after the party.
'empty' for emotional purposelessness needs a person or their life as the subject, not a physical object.
Idioms

the glass is half-empty

idiom

This describes a person who tends to see the negative side of a situation instead of the positive side.

When Maya lost her job, she saw the glass as half-empty.

Why do you always see the glass as half-empty instead of half-full?

empty — verb

empty — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Empty is the most general word for a space or container with nothing inside — for example, an empty box or an empty room. Vacant typically applies to buildings, rooms, or seats that are unoccupied but available; a vacant hotel room is ready for guests, while an empty hotel room simply has no one in it. Blank describes a surface with no marks or writing, such as blank paper or a blank computer screen. Hollow means something has an empty space inside its structure, like a hollow tree trunk or a hollow chocolate egg — the object has an outer shell but nothing solid within. Bare indicates the absence of the usual covering, like bare walls or bare feet. To use them concretely: The classroom was empty after the students left (no one inside); a vacant classroom is one available for use; the whiteboard was blank before the teacher wrote on it; the old oak tree was hollow inside; the walls were bare after we took down the pictures.

empty ↗vacant ↗blank ↗hollow ↗bare ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • empty room
  • empty space
  • empty house
  • empty bottle
  • empty promise
  • empty threat
  • empty feeling
  • empty nest
  • empty seat
  • empty stomach

Adverbs

  • completely empty
  • almost empty
  • nearly empty
  • half empty
  • largely empty
  • entirely empty

Phrases

  • on an empty stomach
  • empty your mind
  • empty out
  • empty of meaning

Prepositions

  • empty of
  • empty into
  • empty out of

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word empty comes from Old English ǣmtig, which meant 'unoccupied' or 'not containing anything'. This adjective grew out of the noun ǣmetta, meaning 'leisure' or 'rest' — a surprising origin, since the original idea was 'having free time' (unoccupied time), which later shifted to 'unoccupied space'. The change happened because both concepts share the sense of 'not filled'. By the 15th century, the Middle English spelling had settled to empty, influenced by words like emperor (the prefix em-).