Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

unoccupied

American  
[uhn-ok-yuh-pahyd] / ʌnˈɒk jəˌpaɪd /

adjective

  1. without occupants; empty; vacant.

  2. not held or controlled by invading forces.

    unoccupied nations.

  3. not busy or active; idle; not gainfully employed.

    an unoccupied person.

  4. without inhabitants; deserted.


unoccupied British  
/ ʌnˈɒkjʊˌpaɪd /

adjective

  1. (of a building) without occupants

  2. unemployed or idle

  3. (of an area or country) not overrun by foreign troops

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of unoccupied

1350–1400; Middle English; see un- 1, occupy ( def. ), -ed 2 ( def. )

Vocabulary lists containing unoccupied

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.

See Examples For:

In other states, such as Colorado, the recipient needs to live in the home or have plans to return to it, if it’s unoccupied, if they want the property to remain exempt.

From MarketWatch Jun. 19, 2026

When the main stage sits unoccupied, the big screens play prerecorded video.

From Slate Jun. 16, 2026

Videos posted to social media and verified by AFP on Monday showed the catastrophic collapse of a shopping centre in General Santos, and an unoccupied school building crumpling.

From Barron's Jun. 9, 2026

He also wants to penalize land bankers by seizing unoccupied properties or capping how much they can sell their land for.

From Los Angeles Times May 1, 2026

The unoccupied area that the Osage were eyeing was bigger than Delaware, but most whites regarded the land as “broken, rocky, sterile, and utterly unfit for cultivation,” as one Indian Affairs agent put it.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training