vacant

[vey-kuhnt]

adjective

1. having no contents; empty; void.

   a vacant niche.

2. having no occupant; unoccupied.

   no vacant seats on this train.

3. not in use.

   a vacant room.

4. devoid of thought or reflection.

   a vacant mind.

5. characterized by, showing, or proceeding from lack of thought or intelligence.

   a vacant answer; a vacant expression on a face.

   Synonyms: inane, vacuous, blank

6. not occupied by an incumbent, official, or the like, as a benefice or office.

7. free from work, business, activity, etc..

   vacant hours.

8. characterized by or proceeding from absence of occupation.

   a vacant life.

9. devoid or destitute (often followed byof ).

   He was vacant of human sympathy.

10. Law.

    1. having no tenant and devoid of furniture, fixtures, etc. (unoccupied ).

       a vacant house.

    2. idle or unutilized; open to any claimant, as land.

    3. without an incumbent; having no heir or claimant; abandoned.

       a vacant estate.

vacant

/ ˈveɪkənt /

adjective

1. without any contents; empty

2. devoid (of something specified)

3. having no incumbent; unoccupied

   a vacant post

4. having no tenant or occupant

   a vacant house

5. characterized by or resulting from lack of thought or intelligent awareness

   a vacant stare

6. (of time, etc) not allocated to any activity

   a vacant hour in one's day

7. spent in idleness or inactivity

   a vacant life

8. law (of an estate, etc) having no heir or claimant

Other Word Forms

• vacantly adverb
• vacantness noun
• nonvacant adjective
• nonvacantly adverb
• unvacant adjective
• unvacantly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of vacant¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, Old French, from Latin vacant- (stem of vacāns, present participle of vacāre “to be empty”); -ant

Word History and Origins

Origin of vacant¹

C13: from Latin vacāre to be empty

Synonym Study

See empty.

Example Sentences

"I have housing associations that when they have a vacant property, signs are being put on the windows of those properties saying 'locals only'."

From BBC

It is reshaping San Francisco, a city that has seen AI companies take over vacant office space and compete with one another for talent.

From Los Angeles Times

Among the suggested targets for conversion are elite Financial District towers that commanded top rents before the COVID-19 pandemic’s stay-at-home orders shut down offices, leaving many buildings more than one-third vacant.

From Los Angeles Times

BBC News NI understands that two of the properties were vacant, but that a family was living in the third at the time of the incident.

From BBC

City, therefore, end up with three players in their backline, with all three players shifting over to cover the space left vacant by the full-back.

From BBC

Related Words

• bare 
• deserted 
• idle 
• unemployed 
• unfilled 
• uninhabited 
• unused