rhizoverbBeta
DictionaryvacuousLacking substance
adjective

vacuous

VAK-yoo-us/ˈvækjuəs/

Lacking intelligent thought or meaningful content.

The speaker’s grand gestures cannot conceal his vacuous presentation.

A glib meeting speaker grandly gestures toward a completely blank presentation board, while two listeners look unimpressed at the absence of any substantive proposal.
Etymology
vacuousLatinempty, void, free

Latin vacuus described something empty or unfilled. Applied to thought or expression, that physical emptiness became a figurative lack of ideas, intelligence, or meaningful content.

In context

Steve Patterson0:03
it reminded me of my childhood Church because the service was vacuous anti-intellectual and a complete waste of time
The Crucifixion: A Unification of Love and Hate

More examples

  • She rejected the vacuous explanation.
  • His vacuous smile concealed his confusion.
  • The discussion grew increasingly vacuous.

Forms

vacuous · more vacuous · most vacuous

Similar words

empty
Empty can mean without substance or significance; vacuous specifically criticizes a lack of thought or meaning.
banal
Banal means unoriginal and commonplace; vacuous means lacking meaningful intellectual content.