empty

empty

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Pronunciation

/ˈɛmpti/

Syllable Breakdown:

• emp-: /ɛm/

• -ty: /pti/

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Word Form Variations

Adjective: empty (positive), emptier (comparative), emptiest (superlative)

Verb: empty (base form), empties (third-person singular present), emptied (past tense, past participle), emptying (present participle)

Noun: empty (singular, usually referring to an empty container), empties (plural)

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Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms

Adjective

1. Definition: Containing nothing; having no contents or occupants.

• Synonyms: vacant, bare, void, clear, unocupied, uninhabited

• Antonyms: full, filled, occupied, crowded, teeming

2. Definition: Lacking substance, sincerity, or genuine meaning.

• Synonyms: hollow, meaningless, shallow, vain, futile, insincere

• Antonyms: meaningful, sincere, substantial, significant, profound

3. Definition: Feeling a profound sense of loss, sadness, or lack of purpose.

• Synonyms: desolate, hollow, forlorn, disheartened, unfulfilled

• Antonyms: fulfilled, content, joyful, purposeful, enriched

Verb

1. Definition: To remove the contents from something; to make something empty.

• Synonyms: drain, clear, unload, evacuate, void, discharge

• Antonyms: fill, load, replenish, stock, pack

2. Definition: (Of a place) to become free of people or things.

• Synonyms: clear out, disperse, vacate, exit

• Antonyms: fill, crowd, populate

3. Definition: (Of a river or similar body of water) to flow into or discharge its contents into another, larger body of water.

• Synonyms: drain, flow, converge, discharge

• Antonyms: (No direct antonym for this specific sense, as it describes a natural process)

Noun

1. Definition: An empty container, especially a bottle or can, that once held something.

• Synonyms: (Often used descriptively, e.g., "empty bottle," "empty can")

• Antonyms: (No direct antonym for the noun form, as it refers to a state of being)

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Examples of Use

Books:

• "The old house stood empty for much of the time." (Collins English Sentences)

• "She felt trapped in an empty marriage." (Merriam-Webster)

• "The platform was empty except for a lone man in a wheelchair." (Elliot Ackerman, WIRED, February 2024)

• "Even though our children have moved away, the nest doesn't feel empty to me." (Danny Heitman, WSJ, November 2023)

Newspapers:

• "The roads were nearly empty of traffic." (Collins English Sentences)

• "Where cafes and shops now thrive, there were empty storefronts and open-air drug markets in the 1990s." (Omari Daniels, Washington Post, November 2023)

• "On a Sunday morning, the place was empty save for one family, and the air was quiet." (Mya Guarnieri, San Diego Union-Tribune, March 2024)

• "Most of it involved moving Kleenex and changing the amount of light in empty rooms." (Christopher Fiorello, The New Yorker, April 2024)

Online Publications:

• "Too often, empty states are treated as an afterthought in user experience design. A blank screen, an empty section, a 'no results found' message—these moments can leave users feeling lost, confused, and disengaged." (Contentphilic, December 2024)

• "The implication is that the harder the squeeze, the sweeter the juice—that there's virtue in staring down the empty page, taming it, forcing it to give way to prose." (Christopher Beam, WIRED, September 2023)

• "Notably, Biden's public schedule is still empty for the first two days of COP28." (Jon McGowan, Forbes, November 2023)

• "After several squeezes, the egg will be empty and ready to return to the safety of the carton." (Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, February 2024)

Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:

• "The arena was completely empty." (Merriam-Webster)

• "Empty movie theater with red seats before the movie show starts in low light." (Shutterstock, November 2024)

• "Michael Rasmussen scored an empty netter to seal the deal with 6 seconds left." (Andrew Birkle, Detroit Free Press, January 2024)

• "The first, hour-long episode was kinky yet empty, like a visit to a red-light district during the pandemic." (Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, June 2023)

General Public Discourse (Common Sayings/Idioms and Conversational Use):

• "Is the glass half full or half empty?" (A common idiom about perspective)

• "Please empty the dishwasher once the cycle is finished." (Everyday instruction)

• "I need to empty my mind of stress through meditation." (Expressing a personal need for mental clarity)

• "The river empties into a large, serene lake." (Describing natural flow)

• "That was just an empty promise." (Criticizing a commitment that wasn't kept)

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10 Quotes Using Empty

1. "Hell is empty and all the devils are here." (William Shakespeare, The Tempest)

2. "Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength." (Corrie Ten Boom)

3. "Education's purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one." (Malcolm Forbes)

4. "The empty vessel makes the loudest sound." (Plato)

5. "Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it." (Stephen Hawking)

6. "Words empty as the wind are best left unsaid." (Homer, The Odyssey)

7. "Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strength." (Charles Spurgeon)

8. "I saw that my life was a vast glowing empty page and I could do anything I wanted." (Jack Kerouac, The Dharma Bums)

9. "Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that." (Norman Vincent Peale)

10. "In a full heart there is room for everything, and in an empty heart there is room for nothing." (Antonio Porchia

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 Etymology

The word "empty" has a fascinating history! It actually comes from an Old English word, ǣmettig, which first appeared before the year 1150.

Interestingly, its earliest meaning wasn't just about something having nothing inside it. Instead, it was primarily used to describe someone who was "at leisure" or "unoccupied." Think of it as being "free from work" or having "free time." It could also describe a person who was "unmarried."

Over time, this idea of being "unoccupied" gradually shifted. By the 10th century, people started using ǣmettig to refer to containers or places that were "devoid of contents" – meaning they literally held nothing. So, the sense changed from "not at work" to "containing nothing."

The "p" sound in "empty" is actually a later addition that appeared during the Middle English period. It's called an "intrusive p" or a "euphonic insertion," meaning it was added to make the word easier or smoother to pronounce.

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Phrases + Idioms Containing Empty

• Empty calories: Calories from foods and drinks that provide energy but very few or no nutrients.

• Empty-handed: Without having obtained or accomplished anything; having nothing in one's hands.

• Empty nest syndrome: Feelings of sadness or grief experienced by parents when their children leave home.

• Empty words: Words that sound meaningful but lack sincerity or substance.

• Empty threat: A threat that is not intended to be carried out.

• Empty vessel makes the most noise: (Also "the empty barrel makes the most noise") - People who are the least intelligent or knowledgeable often talk the loudest or boast the most.

• Running on empty: Having very little energy or resources left; nearing exhaustion.

• The glass is half empty/half full: A common idiom used to describe whether someone has an optimistic or pessimistic outlook on a situation.

• An empty suit: A person in authority who lacks substance, ability, or genuine leadership qualities.

• Empty rhetoric: Language that sounds impressive but is insincere or has no real meaning or intention to act.

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Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA

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Source Information

Definition of empty from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.

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