devoid
Americanadjective
verb (used with object)
adjective
Etymology
Origin of devoid
1350–1400; Middle English, originally past participle < Anglo-French, for Old French desvuidier to empty out, equivalent to des- dis- 1 + vuidier to empty, void
Explanation
You're stranded in the ocean, miles from shore, clinging to a sinking boat, and you can't swim? Sorry to say, your situation is devoid of all hope. When you fall off a cliff, you fall into the void. Void means "empty." Devoid means "empty of." Always answer the question "Of what?" when you use it: "My wallet is devoid of cash. My teacher is devoid of pity. My cookie jar is devoid of cookies." These examples are devoid of anything not totally depressing!
Vocabulary lists containing devoid
Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 3
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ACT Vocabulary List
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"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 16–19
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Devoid of music or melodrama, this is slow cinema at its most viscerally rigorous and patient.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 9, 2026
Devoid of communal deliberation, people become easy marks for manipulators who play to base fears or shallow emotional appeals.
From Salon • Apr. 13, 2025
Devoid of most critters, the London planetrees are about as sterile as trees can be.
From Slate • Mar. 16, 2024
Devoid of people, car and house alarms, crushed and activated by the quake, provide some of the only sound here.
From BBC • Jan. 3, 2024
Devoid of the three-inch decorative nails, her fingers appear almost stubby, and they can’t stop trembling.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
