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.

Dutifully but vacantly, he keeps an all-night vigil by her coffin.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

But as the season progressed, I found myself vacantly scrolling through my phone less and less during the games.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 7, 2024

As we clawed our way up to the top of the pile of rubble, Omar Ait Mahdi looked out vacantly across the valley.

From BBC • Sep. 11, 2023

That exhaustive, full-body sorrow, what Saul Bellow called “the rock depth of heavy trouble,” simply doesn’t come across in shots of mournful faces or sad-looking actors staring vacantly into the middle distance.

From New York Times • Oct. 21, 2021

I saw him put his palms under his head on the pillow and lie there, staring vacantly up at the ceiling.

From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok