empty en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- [ˈem(p).tʰi] (Australia)
- (UK) audio
- (US) audio
- [ˈɛm(p).tʰi] (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
- [ˈɪm(p).tʰi] Southern US, African-American Vernacular, pin–pen merger
- /ˈem(p).ti/ (Australia)
- /ˈɛm(p).ti/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈɪm(p).ti/ Southern US, African-American Vernacular, pin–pen merger
Etymology
From Middle English emty, amty, from Old English ǣmtiġ, ǣmettiġ (“vacant, empty, free, idle, unmarried”, literally “without must or obligation, leisurely”), from Proto-Germanic *uz- (“out”) + Proto-Germanic *mōtijô, *mōtô (“must, obligation, need”), *mōtiþô (“ability, accommodation”), from Proto-Indo-European *med- (“measure; to acquire, possess, be in command”). Related to Old English ġeǣmtigian (“to empty”), ǣmetta (“leisure”), mōtan (“can, to be allowed”). More at mote, meet. The interconsonantal excrescent p is a euphonic insertion dating from Middle English.
Meanings
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Devoid of content; containing nothing or nobody; vacant.
[…] San Sebastian Church was desolate in the courtyard; emptier, lonelier inside with its pews stretched out like fallen pylons varnished by dolorous residue. From each candlelit nook stared in stony despair one after another saint, regal and rueful: proffering forgiveness, peace, a todo.
1970, Wilfrido D. Nolledo, chapter 19, in But for the Lovers, Dalkey Archive Press, page 165:[…] something in the little man's appearance suggested that he would be sufficiently attentive to his own comfort to choose the emptiest table.
1949 June 8, George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], chapter 1, in Nineteen Eighty-Four: A Novel, London: Secker & Warburg, →OCLC; republished [Australia]: Project Gutenberg of Australia, August 2001, part 2, page 103:an empty purse
an empty stomach
an empty jug
It's a 58-minute journey with seven intermediate stops, including a reversal at Cromer - another popular destination. The train starts to empty at North Walsham, and then there is an exodus at Cromer. The coach is almost empty for the final few miles into Sheringham.
2025 October 15, 'Mystery Shopper', “About Anglia... and high scores”, in RAIL, number 1046, page 54:United's stature is such that one result must not bring the immediate announcement of a shift in the balance of power in Manchester - but the swathes of empty seats around Old Trafford and the wave of attacks pouring towards David de Gea's goal in the second half emphasised that City quite simply have greater firepower and talent in their squad at present.
2011 October 23, Phil McNulty, “Man Utd 1 - 6 Man City”, in BBC Sport:
- Containing no elements (as of a string, array, or set), opposed to being null (having no valid value).
-
(obsolete) Free; clear; devoid; often with of.
And I ſhal finde you emptie of that fault, Right ioyfull of your reformation.
c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Loues Labour’s Lost”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii], page 144:For that fair femal Troop thou sawst, that seemd Of Goddesses, so blithe, so smooth, so gay, Yet empty of all good wherein consists Womans domestic honour and chief praise;
1667, John Milton, “Book XI”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC, lines 614-617:
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Having nothing to carry, emptyhanded; unburdened.
I hope our Ladies treaſure and our owne, May ſerue for ranſome to our liberties: Returne our Mules and emptie Camels backe, That we may trauell into Siria, […]
c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act I, scene ii:And I will giue this people fauour in the sight of the Egyptians, and it shall come to passe that when ye goe, ye shall not goe empty:
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Exodus 3:21:I hope it remaines not vnkindly with your Lordſhip, that I return'd you an empty Meſſenger.
c. 1605–1608 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Tymon of Athens”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene vi], page 89:
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Destitute of effect, sincerity, or sense; said of language.
empty offer
empty words, or threats
empty promises
[…] words are but empty thanks; my future conduct best will speak my gratitude.
1697, Colley Cibber, Woman's Wit, act V, page 190:
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Unable to satisfy; hollow; vain.
empty pleasures
Ev'n I more sweetly pass my careless days, Pleas'd in the silent shade with empty praise;
1713, [Alexander] Pope, Windsor-Forest. […], London: […] Bernard Lintott […], →OCLC, page 18:
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Destitute of reality, or real existence; unsubstantial.
empty dreams
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Destitute of, or lacking, sense, knowledge, or courtesy.
Art thou thus bolden'd man by thy diſtres? Or elſe a rude deſpiſer of good manners, That in ciuility thou ſeem'ſt ſo emptie?
c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene vii], page 203, column 2:empty brains
an empty coxcomb
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(of some female animals, qualifier:especially cows and sheep) Not pregnant; not producing offspring when expected to do so during the breeding season.
Empty cow rates have increased in recent years.
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(obsolete, of a plant or tree) Producing nothing; unfruitful.
an empty vine
[…] and the seuen emptie eares blasted with the East wind[…]
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis 41:27:
- Hungry.
-
Lacking between the onset of tasting and the finish.
Grotesquely vegetal, excessively oaked, empty wines were routinely produced in the mid-1980s. Since the late 1980s, however, the quality has soared.
1993, Robert M. Parker, Parker's Wine Buyer's Guide, page 967:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| emptiest | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| emptier | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Antonyms
laden · packed to the gills · full · freighted · jam-packed · fraught · rammed to the rafters · loaded · stuffed to the gills · jammed · non-empty · cramful · jam rammed · rammed · packed to the rafters · cramfull · non-empty · packed · full · stuffed
Deriveds
empty-netter (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty sella syndrome (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty stock working (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty coaching stock (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty barrels make the most noise (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty-net goal (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · glass-half-empty (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty space (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty graph (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · emptily (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty as the tomb on Easter (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty letter (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty base (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty chair (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty signifier (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty vessels make the most noise (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty calorie (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · come away empty (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty nest syndrome (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty suit (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty netter (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty nest (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty threat (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty cans make the most noise (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty page (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty phrase (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty product (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty sum (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty out (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty constructor (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · emptyish (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty-handed (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty string (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty word (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty sheet (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty function (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty leaf (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · the glass half-empty (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty as a pauper's purse (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty-element tag (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · half empty (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · on an empty stomach (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty-hearted (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty morpheme (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty nose syndrome (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty nester (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty-nest syndrome (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty net goal (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty-nester (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty canvas (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · emptiness (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty words (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty the bench (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty-headed (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty set (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · you can't pour from an empty cup (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · nonempty (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty morph (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty vessels make the most sound (Terms derived from empty (adjective)) · empty-hoofed (Terms derived from empty (adjective))
Descendants
Hypernyms
Hyponyms
unfurnished · unfreighted · unladen · unsupplied · bare · hollow · uninhabited · unloaded · unfraught · unstocked
Relateds
Synonyms
vacant · toom · vacuous · vacuumlike · unfilled · unoccupied · empty as a pauper's purse · toom · clear · hollow · leer · clean · clean · empty as the tomb on Easter · empty · void · leer
Translations (176)
ht vid (devoid of content) · ast baleru (devoid of content) · sl pust (devoid of content) · arz فاضي (devoid of content) · be пусты́ (devoid of content) · eo senenhava (devoid of content) · ko 비다 (devoid of content) · nl leeg (devoid of content) · lv tukšs (devoid of content) · ltg pūsts (devoid of content) · fi tyhjä (devoid of content) · is tómur (devoid of content) · rm vid (devoid of content) · id kosong (devoid of content) · ro gol (devoid of content) · grc κενός (devoid of content) · cmn 空的 (devoid of content) · ckb بەتاڵ (devoid of content) · af leeg (devoid of content) · ang tōm (devoid of content) · fa تهی (devoid of content) · th หว่า (devoid of content) · non tómr (devoid of content) · hu üres (devoid of content) · fo tómur (devoid of content) · it vuoto (devoid of content) · no tom (devoid of content) · nap vacante (devoid of content) · hi ख़ाली (devoid of content) · gd falamh (devoid of content) · el άδειος (devoid of content) · ro golit (devoid of content) · gl van (devoid of content) · sk prázdny (devoid of content) · ja 空の (devoid of content) · io vakua (devoid of content) · fa خالی (devoid of content) · tl basyo (devoid of content) · ne रित्तो (devoid of content) · la inanis (devoid of content) · zdj -ruvu (devoid of content) · ms kosong (devoid of content) · tk boş (devoid of content) · ba буш (devoid of content) · yi פּוסט (devoid of content) · hi छूछा (devoid of content) · ky куру (devoid of content) · ur چھوچھا (devoid of content) · lt tuščia (devoid of content) · es vacío (devoid of content) · kea inban (devoid of content) · uz boʻsh (devoid of content) · hrx läer (devoid of content) · ast güecu (devoid of content) · sl prazen (devoid of content) · inh даьсса (devoid of content) · gl vacío (devoid of content) · ru пусто́й (devoid of content) · ka ცარიელი (devoid of content) · km ទទេ (devoid of content) · ru поро́жний (devoid of content) · ne रिक्त (devoid of content) · yi ליידיק (devoid of content) · et tühi (devoid of content) · ast vacíu (devoid of content) · fa پوچ (devoid of content) · mk празен (devoid of content) · ml ഒഴിഞ്ഞ (devoid of content) · cs prázdný (devoid of content) · scn vacanti (devoid of content) · gl oco (devoid of content) · chr ᎤᏏᏩ (devoid of content) · cy gwag (devoid of content) · de inhaltslos (devoid of content) · to maha (devoid of content) · ota بوش (devoid of content) · de leer (devoid of content) · kbd нэщӏ (devoid of content) · ml തരിശ് (devoid of content) · ar فَارِغ (devoid of content) · ky бош (devoid of content) · lo ເວົ່າ (devoid of content) · om duwwaa (devoid of content) · hy պարապ (devoid of content) · te ఖాళీ (devoid of content) · ga folamh (devoid of content) · kmr vala (devoid of content) · th ว้าง (devoid of content) · gl baleiro (devoid of content) · da tom (devoid of content) · ltg tukšs (devoid of content) · sv tom (devoid of content) · sw -tupu (devoid of content) · cy coeg (devoid of content) · acm بوش (devoid of content) · cy anghyfannedd (devoid of content) · oc vuòg (devoid of content) · ro deșert (devoid of content) · az xali (devoid of content) · sq bosh (devoid of content) · vec vódo (devoid of content) · ja 空っぽな (devoid of content) · ast lluezu (devoid of content) · ang īdel (devoid of content) · ro vid (devoid of content) · oc vuèg (devoid of content) · el κενός (devoid of content) · as খালী (devoid of content) · oc void (devoid of content) · bn ফাঁকা (devoid of content) · bn খালি (devoid of content) · txb aikare (devoid of content) · kk бос (devoid of content) · alt бош (devoid of content) · csb pùsti (devoid of content) · hy սին (devoid of content) · lt tuščias (devoid of content) · gd fàs (devoid of content) · uk пусти́й (devoid of content) · he ריק (devoid of content) · tg тиҳӣ (devoid of content) · az puç (devoid of content) · nrf viède (devoid of content) · lo ຫວ່າງ (devoid of content) · br goullo (devoid of content) · ur خالی (devoid of content) · hy դատարկ (devoid of content) · la cassus (devoid of content) · yue 空 (devoid of content) · ce деса (devoid of content) · uk поро́жній (devoid of content) · ltg dīks (devoid of content) · ast valeru (devoid of content) · acw فاضي (devoid of content) · sh prazan (devoid of content) · an vuedo (devoid of content) · la vacuus (devoid of content) · os афтид (devoid of content) · pl próżny (devoid of content) · lb eidel (devoid of content) · ta காலி (devoid of content) · ta வெறுமை (devoid of content) · eo malplena (devoid of content) · syl ꠈꠣꠟꠤ (devoid of content) · hi रीता (devoid of content) · hsb prózdny (devoid of content) · kn ಖಾಲಿ (devoid of content) · izh tyhjä (devoid of content) · fr vide (devoid of content) · ta வெற்று (devoid of content) · ota خالی (devoid of content) · tg холӣ (devoid of content) · km ទំនេរ (devoid of content) · pt vazio (devoid of content) · hy ունայն (devoid of content) · ne खाली (devoid of content) · te ఒట్టి (devoid of content) · az boş (devoid of content) · dsb prozny (devoid of content) · pl pusty (devoid of content) · apc خالي (devoid of content) · tr boş (devoid of content) · got 𐌻𐌰𐌿𐍃 (devoid of content) · tly خالی (devoid of content) · ca buit (devoid of content) · bho खाली (devoid of content) · kk құр (devoid of content) · sh празан (devoid of content) · fro vuit (devoid of content) · bg пра́зен (devoid of content) · ady нэкӏы (devoid of content) · vi trống (devoid of content) · aii ܣܦܝܩܐ (devoid of content) · mn хоосон (devoid of content) · vi rỗng (devoid of content) · my လွတ် (devoid of content)