2. permit, allow, give the go ahead or green light, consent to, vouchsafe; sanction, confirm, ratify, pass, vote for; approve, give one's nod of approval, countenance, Chiefly U.S. approbate, Inf. O.K.; enable, capacitate, endow, endue, equip, outfit, arm; potentiate, strengthen, invigorate, energize,
empress, n. 1. female sovereign, queen, regina.
2. consort of an emperor, sultana, maharanee, czarina.
emptiness, n. 1. voidness, vacuity, vacancy, vacantness, hollowness; bareness, blankness, barrenness; depletion, exhaustion, inanition.
2. vacuum, void; interruption, hiatus, interim, interval, interlude.
3. destitution, lack, want, need, necessity, requirement; deficiency, scarcity, deprivation.
4. futility, ineffectiveness, uselessness; vanity, insignificance, meaninglessness, unimportance, worthlessness; unreality, delusion, falseness, insubstantiality; folly, sham, mockery.
5. inanity, fatuousness, foolishness, silliness; thoughtlessness, senselessness, brainlessness, dullness, stupidity, unintelligence.
6. verbosity, prolixity, wordiness; loquaciousness, loquacity, garrulity, volubility.
empty, adj. 1. void, vacant, without contents, unfilled, hollow, Scot. and North Eng. toom; unfurnished, bare, barren, blank, unadorned; depleted, (of alcoholic beverage containers) Inf. dead, exhausted, drained, spent.
2. unoccupied, untenanted, tenantless, uninhabited; abandoned, deserted, unclaimed, available, Inf. up for grabs.
3. unburdened, unencumbered, unloaded, unsupplied; unfilled, unfed, hungry.
4. devoid of, destitute of, lacking, wanting, bereft of; without, sans, out of, short of, deficient, deprived.
5. futile, ineffectual, ineffective, idle, useless, unavailing, profitless, bootless; vain, insignificant, meaningless, valueless, unimportant, worthless; unreal, delusive, without substance, insubstantial; unsatisfactory, unsatisfying.
6. blank, clear, expressionless, inexpressive, deadpan, poker-faced; vacuous, inane, fatuous, foolish, silly; empty-headed, thoughtless, unthinking, unreflecting, unreasoning, brainless; dull, dense, stupid, unintelligent.
7. verbose, prolix, long-winded, wordy; loquacious, garrulous, talkative, voluble; babbling, blabbing, chattering.
-v. 8. unload, unburden, disburden, free, relieve, remove; emit, pour forth, pour out, teem, send forth, send out, eject; gush, disembogue, cast forth; discharge, exude, ooze, seep, trickle; void, evacuate, make vacant, vacate.
9. deplete, exhaust, use up, consume, spend, run out
of; drain, bleed, tax, sap, enervate, devitalize,
empyreal, adj. empyrean, celestial, heavenly, uran-ic, astronomical; extraterrestrial, otherworldy, supra-mundane, extramundane, ultramundane, unworldly, unearthly; cosmic, solar, heliacal, heliac, nebular, astral, sidereal, stellar, sphery, starry; planetary, aster-oidal, lunar, selenological.
empyrean, n. 1. highest heaven, seventh heaven.
2. visible heavens, firmament, vault of heaven, sky,
ether, the blue, the wild blue yonder, the azure, Chiefly Literary, welkin.
emulate, v. 1. imitate, pattern or model after, reflect, mirror, echo; look up to, follow, take after, follow as an example, do like, walk in the footsteps of.
2. equal, match, parallel, keep pace with, come up to, measure up to, compare to, run abreast of; strive to excel, challenge comparison, vie with, compete with,
emulation, n. 1. effort to equal, attempt to match, imitation; effort to excel, competition, rivalry, vying.