vacant

Vacant is an English adjective meaning not filled, empty, or unoccupied. It is used to describe spaces, positions, or things that currently have no occupant or content. For example, a vacant lot is an undeveloped parcel of land; a vacant seat is presently unoccupied; a vacant house is not inhabited. In everyday language, vacant can also describe a person’s gaze or demeanor as expressionless or absent-minded, as in a vacant look.

Origin and related terms: vacant comes from Middle French vacant, from Latin vacans, vacare “to be empty.” The related noun vacancy refers to the state of being unoccupied or a job opening. The verb form to vacate means to leave a place, making it vacant.

Legal and professional contexts: in real estate and asset management, “vacant possession” indicates that a property is delivered free of tenants or occupants. In human resources, a “vacancy” is a position that is not yet filled; organizations advertise vacancies to attract candidates, and a manager must fill them.

Common usages: “vacant lot,” “vacant building,” “vacant apartment,” “vacant chair” are common collocations. Opposites include occupied, filled, or inhabited.