Meaning & use

vacuously

adverb·Advanced

Last updated

in a manner that shows a lack of thought, ideas, or intelligence; emptily or mindlessly.

See it in a sentence

He smiled vacuously at the question, clearly not having listened to a word.

The character stared vacuously at the television for hours without changing the channel.

A note on using this word

In logic, 'vacuously true' describes a statement that is technically true only because its condition is never actually met, a specialized philosophical use of the same root.

Words with a similar meaning

blanklyemptily

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

thoughtfully

Make it your own

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