be devoid of

USAGE SUMMARY

"be devoid of" is correct and usable in written English.
The phrase is used to mean "completely lacking or deprived of" something. For example, "The room was devoid of decorations."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

We could be devoid of any type of human emotion".

The New Yorker

The race appeared as if it would be devoid of much action.

The New York Times - Sports

The key to hereditary monarchy is to be devoid of superior legitimacy.

The Guardian - Opinion

They are not required to be devoid of opinion or even to avoid entirely public life.

The Guardian

He must be devoid of partisanship and his probity must be beyond reproach.

The New York Times

One cannot expect a cabinet appointee to be devoid of partisan preferences.

The Guardian - Opinion

Despite some scrappy spurts, the Nets seemed to be devoid of a pulse.

The New York Times - Sports

I can't guarantee the evening will be devoid of chauvinism or sentimentality.

The Guardian - Opinion

Company offices would be devoid of the "negative forces" often present in corporate America, he said.

The New York Times

It's postmodern-ironic, but not so ironic as to be devoid of principle".

The New York Times

Granted, star-crossed lovers in musicals tend to be devoid of specific personality.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Pair the phrase with nouns that represent essential or expected characteristics to highlight how unusual or striking their absence is.

Common error

A common mistake is using the wrong preposition, such as saying 'devoid from' instead of the correct "be devoid of". The adjective 'devoid' is historically derived from 'void' and requires 'of' to connect to the missing object.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "be devoid of" functions as a predicative adjective phrase. It consists of the copular verb 'be', the adjective 'devoid' meaning 'completely lacking', and the preposition 'of'. In a sentence, it serves to attribute a state of absolute emptiness or lack to the subject. Ludwig AI confirms that it is almost always followed by a noun or noun phrase that identifies what exactly is missing.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

45%

News & Media

35%

Academia

15%

Less common in

Wiki

3%

Social Media

1%

Informal

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "be devoid of" is a highly effective and grammatically standard phrase used to denote a complete and absolute lack of something. Ludwig AI demonstrates its versatility across a wide range of high-authority sources, from the descriptive prose of The New Yorker to the precise findings in ScienceDirect. Unlike its synonyms, this phrase carries a weight of total emptiness that makes it ideal for emphasizing when a characteristic is entirely missing. Whether you are describing a character's lack of empathy or a cell's lack of energy, "be devoid of" ensures your writing remains formal, precise, and impactful. Always remember that the preposition 'of' is mandatory, and the phrase typically works best when describing abstract qualities or essential scientific properties.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

be void of

Closely related but often carries a more legal or formal connotation regarding validity.

be bereft of

Suggests a sense of deprivation or loss, often used for emotional or human contexts.

be free of

Implies a positive absence, suggesting that the thing missing was undesirable or a burden.

be empty of

More literal and physical than the query, focusing on the lack of contents within a space.

be lacking in

Focuses on a deficiency or shortcoming rather than a total absolute absence.

be without

A simpler, more direct way to express absence suitable for informal registers.

be deficient of

More clinical or technical, indicating that a required amount is missing.

lack

Collapses the phrase into a single active verb for greater concision.

be absent of

Less idiomatic than the query but occasionally used to describe missing features.

contain no

Changes the perspective from the state of the object to its internal composition.

FAQs

How to use "be devoid of" in a sentence?

You use it to describe something that is completely without a certain quality. For example, 'The landscape was "be devoid of vegetation"' or 'His voice was "be devoid of emotion"'.

What is the difference between "be devoid of" and "be bereft of"?

While both mean lacking, "be bereft of" often implies a sense of sadness, loss, or having something taken away, whereas "be devoid of" is a more neutral observation of absence.

Is it correct to say "devoid from"?

No, 'devoid' is an adjective that must be followed by the preposition 'of'. To say something is 'devoid from' is grammatically incorrect; instead, you should use "be devoid of".

Can "be devoid of" be used in scientific writing?

Yes, it is very common in science to describe samples or environments lacking specific elements, such as being "be devoid of life" or "be devoid of impurities".