Standard Lemma guide

devoid

adj · verb · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /dɪˈvɔɪd/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɔɪd
  • CMU ARPABET: D IH0 V OY1 D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Completely without; having none of

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • I went searching for a knife, but the kitchen was devoid of anything sharper than a spoon.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: empty, vacant, void, naked

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To empty out; to remove.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

Examples

  • The child will devoid the garbage after he devours his sandwich.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

completely wanting or lacking

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • writing barren of insight
  • young recruits destitute of experience
  • innocent of literary merit
  • the sentence was devoid of meaning

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: barren, destitute, free, innocent

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From obsolete Middle English verb devoiden, from Old French desvuidier (“to empty out”) (compare French dévider).

Across languages

Translations

33 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: خَالِي (ḵālī) — empty, completely without
  • Arabic: فَارِغ (fāriḡ) — empty, completely without
  • Armenian: զուրկ (zurk) — empty, completely without
  • Bulgarian: празен (prazen) — empty, completely without
  • Bulgarian: лишен от (lišen ot) — empty, completely without
  • Chinese Mandarin: 空的 — empty, completely without
  • Czech: postrádající — empty, completely without
  • Czech: nemající — empty, completely without
  • Danish: blottet — empty, completely without
  • Dutch: verstoken zijn van — empty, completely without
  • French: dépourvu — empty, completely without
  • Georgian: რამეს მოკლებული (rames moḳlebuli) — empty, completely without
  • Georgian: რამისგან დაცლილი (ramisgan daclili) — empty, completely without
  • German: frei adj.: leer — empty, completely without
  • Gothic: 𐌻𐌰𐌿𐍃 (laus) — empty, completely without
  • Hebrew: נעדר (ne'edár) — empty, completely without
  • Hebrew: חסר (khasár) — empty, completely without
  • Italian: privo — empty, completely without
  • Italian: senza — empty, completely without
  • Malayalam: ഒഴിവാക്കി (oḻivākki) — empty, completely without
  • Persian: فاقد (fâqed) — empty, completely without
  • Polish: pozbawiony — empty, completely without
  • Portuguese: destituído — empty, completely without
  • Portuguese: desprovido — empty, completely without
  • Romanian: golit — empty, completely without
  • Romanian: fără de conținut — empty, completely without
  • Russian: пусто́й (pustój) — empty, completely without
  • Russian: поро́жний (poróžnij) — empty, completely without
  • Spanish: vacío — empty, completely without
  • Spanish: desprovisto — empty, completely without
  • Spanish: carente — empty, completely without
  • Spanish: desproveído — empty, completely without
  • Spanish: impróvido — empty, completely without