Empty vs. Blank — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman & Urooj Arif — Updated on April 21, 2024
Empty refers to something having nothing inside, while blank implies the absence of written or printed material.
Difference Between Empty and Blank
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Empty indicates that a container or space contains nothing, reflecting its lack of contents. While blank often pertains to surfaces or spaces devoid of marks or features, such as a blank page or screen.
In emotional context, empty can describe feelings of loneliness or lack of purpose. Whereas blank can refer to an expression that reveals no emotion, suggesting a void in engagement or reaction.
When discussing communication, empty words are those that carry no significant meaning or value in a conversation. On the other hand, blank statements may involve missing details or omitted information, essentially placeholders waiting to be filled.
In technology, an empty file or directory on a computer means it contains no data or files. Conversely, a blank document or template is free of content but ready for use.
With respect to usage in everyday language, empty tends to imply a state of depletion, such as an empty tank or empty streets. Whereas blank is used to describe potential for creativity or input, like a blank canvas ready for painting.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
Lacking content or occupants
Free of markings or any elements
Contextual Usage
Emptiness in physical or emotional contexts
Blank as in unmarked or yet to be completed
Examples in Sentences
E.g., The room was empty after the party.
E.g., She stared at the blank screen.
Symbolic Meaning
Often conveys a deeper sense of absence or void
Suggests openness or readiness for addition
Technological Usage
Refers to data absence or void in storage
Used to describe templates or initial states
Compare with Definitions
Empty
Lacking emotional substance.
His apology felt empty.
Blank
Unmarked surface.
He handed her a blank sheet of paper.
Empty
Uninhabited area.
The abandoned town felt eerily empty.
Blank
Lacking features or expressions.
His face remained blank during the discussion.
Empty
Devoid of contents.
The box was empty after unpacking.
Blank
Not filled in.
The form was left blank.
Empty
Void of specific items.
His promise was empty of sincerity.
Blank
Ready for input.
The canvas was blank, awaiting her first stroke of paint.
Empty
Not occupied; vacant.
The seat next to her was empty.
Blank
Unwritten or unrecorded.
The page in the diary was blank.
Empty
Containing nothing; not filled or occupied
The room was empty of furniture
She put down her empty cup
Blank
Devoid of writing, images, or marks
A blank wall.
A blank screen.
Empty
(of words or a gesture) lacking meaning or sincerity
Their promises were empty words
Blank
Containing no information; unrecorded or erased
A blank tape.
A blank diskette.
Empty
Having no value or purpose
Her life felt empty and meaningless
Blank
Having spaces for information to be provided; not completed or filled in
A blank questionnaire.
Empty
Remove all the contents of (a container)
Pockets were emptied of loose change
We empty the till at closing time
Blank
Not having received final processing; unfinished
A blank key.
Empty
A bottle or glass left empty of its contents
The barman collected the empties
Blank
Devoid of thought or impression
A blank mind.
Empty
Having nothing inside or on the surface; holding or containing nothing
An empty bag.
An empty lot.
Blank
Showing no expression, interest, or understanding; expressionless
A blank stare.
Empty
(Mathematics) Having no elements or members; null
An empty set.
Blank
Devoid of activity or distinctive character; empty
Tried to fill the blank hours of the day.
Empty
Having no occupants; not being used
An empty chair.
Blank
Absolute; complete
A blank refusal.
Empty
Not having an incumbent or occupant; unfilled
An empty post at the embassy.
Blank
An empty space or place, especially an empty space on a document to be filled in.
Empty
Not put to purposeful use; idle
Empty hours.
Blank
A document with one or more such spaces.
Empty
Lacking force or power
An empty threat.
Blank
Something without information or thought
When I read that question on the test, my mind was a blank.
Empty
Lacking purpose or substance; meaningless
An empty life.
Blank
Something showing no expression or understanding
When he told his mother what happened, her face was a blank.
Empty
Needing nourishment; hungry
"More fierce and more inexorable far / Than empty tigers or the roaring sea" (Shakespeare).
Blank
A manufactured article of a standard shape or form that is ready for final processing, as by stamping or cutting
A key blank.
Empty
Devoid; destitute
Empty of pity.
Blank
A blank cartridge.
Empty
To remove the contents of
Emptied the dishwasher.
Blank
Something worthless, such as a losing lottery ticket.
Empty
To transfer or pour off completely
Empty the ashes into a pail.
Blank
A mark, usually a dash (—), indicating the omission of a word or of a letter or letters.
Empty
To unburden; relieve
Empty oneself of doubt.
Blank
The white circle in the center of a target; a bull's-eye.
Empty
To become empty
The theater emptied after the performance.
Blank
(Games) An unmarked piece or portion of a piece, as a domino tile, whose value may be determined by the holder.
Empty
To discharge its contents
The river empties into a bay.
Blank
To remove, as from view; obliterate
"At times the strong glare of the sun blanked it from sight" (Richard Wright).
Empty
An empty container.
Blank
To block access to
Blank off a subway tunnel.
Empty
Devoid of content; containing nothing or nobody; vacant.
An empty purse
An empty jug
An empty stomach
Blank
(Sports) To prevent (an opponent) from scoring.
Empty
Containing no elements (as of a string, array, or set), opposed to being null (having no valid value).
Blank
To punch or stamp from flat stock, especially with a die.
Empty
(obsolete) Free; clear; devoid; often with of.
Blank
To become abstracted. Often used with out
My mind blanked out for a few seconds.
Empty
Having nothing to carry, emptyhanded; unburdened.
Blank
To fail to find or remember something
I blanked when asked the name of our mayor.
Empty
Destitute of effect, sincerity, or sense; said of language.
Empty words, or threats
Empty offer
Empty promises
Blank
To fade away
The music gradually blanked out.
Empty
Unable to satisfy; hollow; vain.
Empty pleasures
Blank
(archaic) White or pale; without colour.
Empty
Destitute of reality, or real existence; unsubstantial.
Empty dreams
Blank
Free from writing, printing, or marks; having an empty space to be filled in
Blank paper
A blank check
A blank ballot
A blank CD
Empty
Destitute of, or lacking, sense, knowledge, or courtesy.
Empty brains
An empty coxcomb
Blank
(figurative) Lacking characteristics which give variety; uniform.
A blank desert; a blank wall; blank unconsciousness
Empty
(of some female animals, especially cows and sheep) Not pregnant; not producing offspring when expected to do so during the breeding season.
Empty cow rates have increased in recent years.
Blank
Absolute; downright; sheer.
There was a look of blank terror on his face.
A blank refusal to cooperate
Empty
Producing nothing; unfruitful.
An empty vine
Blank
Without expression, usually due to incomprehension.
Failing to understand the question, he gave me a blank stare.
Empty
To make empty; to void; to remove the contents of.
To empty a well or a cistern
The cinema emptied quickly after the end of the film.
Blank
Utterly confounded or discomfited.
Empty
(intransitive) Of a river, duct, etc: to drain or flow toward an ultimate destination.
Salmon River empties on the W shore about 2 miles below Bear River.
Blank
Empty; void; without result; fruitless.
A blank day
Empty
A container, especially a bottle, whose contents have been used up, leaving it empty.
Put the empties out to be recycled.
Blank
Devoid of thoughts, memory, or inspiration.
The shock left his memory blank.
Empty
Containing nothing; not holding or having anything within; void of contents or appropriate contents; not filled; - said of an inclosure, or a container, as a box, room, house, etc.; as, an empty chest, room, purse, or pitcher; an empty stomach; empty shackles.
Blank
(military) Of ammunition: having propellant but no bullets; unbulleted.
The recruits were issued with blank rounds for a training exercise.
Empty
Free; clear; devoid; - often with of.
I shall find you empty of that fault.
Blank
A small French coin, originally of silver, afterwards of copper, worth 5 deniers; also a silver coin of Henry V current in the parts of France then held by the English, worth about 8 pence .
Empty
Having nothing to carry; unburdened.
When ye go ye shall not go empty.
Blank
(obsolete) A nonplus 16th century.
Empty
Destitute of effect, sincerity, or sense; - said of language; as, empty words, or threats.
Words are but empty thanks.
Blank
The white spot in the centre of a target; hence (figuratively) the object to which anything is directed or aimed, the range of such aim .
Empty
Unable to satisfy; unsatisfactory; hollow; vain; - said of pleasure, the world, etc.
Pleas'd in the silent shade with empty praise.
Blank
A lot by which nothing is gained; a ticket in a lottery on which no prize is indicated since the 16th century.
Empty
Producing nothing; unfruitful; - said of a plant or tree; as, an empty vine.
Seven empty ears blasted with the east wind.
Blank
An empty space; a void, for example on a paper .
Empty
Destitute of, or lacking, sense, knowledge, or courtesy; as, empty brains; an empty coxcomb.
That in civility thou seem'st so empty.
Blank
A space to be filled in on a form or template.
Write your answers in the blanks.
Empty
Destitute of reality, or real existence; unsubstantial; as, empty dreams.
Blank
Provisional words printed in italics (instead of blank spaces) in a bill before Parliament, being matters of practical detail, of which the final form will be settled in Committee .
Empty
An empty box, crate, cask, etc.; - used in commerce, esp. in transportation of freight; as, "special rates for empties."
Blank
A document, paper, or form with spaces left blank to be filled up at the pleasure of the person to whom it is given (e.g. a blank charter, ballot, form, contract, etc.), or as the event may determine; a blank form .
Empty
To deprive of the contents; to exhaust; to make void or destitute; to make vacant; to pour out; to discharge; as, to empty a vessel; to empty a well or a cistern.
The clouds . . . empty themselves upon the earth.
Blank
An empty form without substance; anything insignificant; nothing at all .
Empty
To discharge itself; as, a river empties into the ocean.
Blank
An unprinted leaf of a book 20th century.
Empty
To become empty.
Blank
(literature) Blank verse .
Empty
A container that has been emptied;
Return all empties to the store
Blank
A piece of metal (such as a coin, screw, nuts), cut and shaped to the required size of the thing to be made, and ready for the finishing operations; (coining) the disc of metal before stamping .
Empty
Make void or empty of contents;
Empty the box
The alarm emptied the building
Blank
Any article of glass on which subsequent processing is required since the 19th century.
Empty
Become empty or void of its content;
The room emptied
Blank
(electric recording) The shaved wax ready for placing on a recording machine for making wax records with a stylus 20th century.
Empty
Leave behind empty; move out of;
You must vacate your office by tonight
Blank
(figurative) A vacant space, place, or period; a void since the 17th century.
Empty
Remove;
Empty the water
Blank
The 1 / 230400 of a grain 17th century.
Empty
Excrete or discharge from the body
Blank
An empty space in one's memory; a forgotten item or memory since the 18th century.
Empty
Holding or containing nothing;
An empty glass
An empty room
Full of empty seats
Empty hours
Blank
A dash written in place of an omitted letter or word since the 18th century
Empty
Devoid of significance or point;
Empty promises
A hollow victory
Vacuous comments
Blank
The space character; the character resulting from pressing the space-bar on a keyboard.
Empty
Having nothing inside;
An empty sphere
Blank
(dominoes) A domino without points on one or both of its divisions.
The double blank
The six blank
Empty
Needing nourishment;
After skipped lunch the men were empty by suppertime
Empty-bellied children
Blank
(firearms) blank cartridge since the 19th century.
It was an unloaded gun that fired only blanks.
Empty
Emptied of emotion;
After the violent argument he felt empty
Blank
An ineffective effort which achieves nothing since the 20th century.
Blank
(chemistry) A sample for a control experiment that does not contain any of the analyte of interest, in order to deliberately produce a non-detection to verify that a detection is distinguishable from it.
Blank
(slang) Infertile semen.
Blank
(transitive) To make void; to erase.
I blanked out my previous entry.
Blank
To ignore (a person) deliberately.
She blanked me for no reason.
Blank
To render ineffective by blanketing with turbulent airflow, such as from aircraft wake or reverse thrust.
At high angles of attack, the shuttle's rudder is blanked by the fuselage and wings, forcing it to use its RCS thrusters for yaw control.
Blank
(transitive) To prevent from scoring; for example, in a sporting event.
The team was blanked.
England blanks Wales to advance to the final.
Blank
(intransitive) To become blank.
Blank
(intransitive) To be temporarily unable to remember.
I'm blanking on her name right now.
Blank
Of a white or pale color; without color.
To the blank moonHer office they prescribed.
Blank
Free from writing, printing, or marks; having an empty space to be filled in with some special writing; - said of checks, official documents, etc.; as, blank paper; a blank check; a blank ballot.
Blank
Utterly confounded or discomfited.
Adam . . . astonied stood, and blank.
Blank
Empty; void; without result; fruitless; as, a blank space; a blank day.
Blank
Lacking characteristics which give variety; as, a blank desert; a blank wall; destitute of interests, affections, hopes, etc.; as, to live a blank existence; destitute of sensations; as, blank unconsciousness.
Blank
Lacking animation and intelligence, or their associated characteristics, as expression of face, look, etc.; expressionless; vacant.
The blank . . . glance of a half returned consciousness.
Blank
Absolute; downright; unmixed; as, blank terror.
Blank
Any void space; a void space on paper, or in any written instrument; an interval void of consciousness, action, result, etc; a void.
I can not write a paper full, I used to do; and yet I will not forgive a blank of half an inch from you.
From this time there ensues a long blank in the history of French legislation.
I was ill. I can't tell how long - it was a blank.
Blank
A lot by which nothing is gained; a ticket in a lottery on which no prize is indicated.
In Fortune's lottery liesA heap of blanks, like this, for one small prize.
Blank
A paper unwritten; a paper without marks or characters a blank ballot; - especially, a paper on which are to be inserted designated items of information, for which spaces are left vacant; a bland form.
The freemen signified their approbation by an inscribed vote, and their dissent by a blank.
Blank
A paper containing the substance of a legal instrument, as a deed, release, writ, or execution, with spaces left to be filled with names, date, descriptions, etc.
Blank
The point aimed at in a target, marked with a white spot; hence, the object to which anything is directed.
Let me still remainThe true blank of thine eye.
Blank
Aim; shot; range.
I have stood . . . within the blank of his displeasureFor my free speech.
Blank
A kind of base silver money, first coined in England by Henry V., and worth about 8 pence; also, a French coin of the seventeenth century, worth about 4 pence.
Blank
A piece of metal prepared to be made into something by a further operation, as a coin, screw, nuts.
Blank
A piece or division of a piece, without spots; as, the "double blank"; the "six blank."
Blank
To make void; to annul.
Blank
To blanch; to make blank; to damp the spirits of; to dispirit or confuse.
Each opposite that blanks the face of joy.
Blank
A blank character used to separate successive words in writing or printing;
He said the space is the most important character in the alphabet
Blank
A substitute for a taboo word;
I hit the blank blank car
Blank
A blank gap or missing part
Blank
A piece of material ready to be made into something
Blank
A cartridge containing an explosive charge but no bullet
Blank
Keep the opposing (baseball) team from winning
Blank
Of a surface; not written or printed on;
Blank pages
Fill in the blank spaces
A clean page
Wide white margins
Blank
Void of expression;
A blank stare
Blank
Not charged with a bullet;
A blank cartridge
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
