Meanings
plural empty signifiers
- human sciencesA signifier—that is, a linguistic sign, a label or slogan—with no fixed and delimited meaning, which can therefore be interpreted in many ways and represent a range of different beliefs and aspirations.
In many ways, the goal of “Clear” seems to have functioned as a kind of empty signifier, an amorphous but supremely attractive goal that could represent almost anything to anyone: higher IQ for some, better personal relationships for others, career success for some, domestic bliss for others.
2011, Hugh B. Urban, The Church of Scientology: A History of a New Religion, →ISBN, page 48Synonyms: floating signifier, master signifier
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA signifier—that is, a linguistic sign, a label or slogan—with no fixed and delimited meaning, which can therefore be interpreted in many ways and represent a range of different beliefs and aspirations.
Origin
- Frenchsignifiant vide
- Englishempty signifier
First attested in the 1970s, apparently originally a calque of French signifiant vide as used by Jacques Derrida among others (though not by Lacan as sometimes supposed; compare the Lacanian term master signifier). Subsequently popularised in the work of Ernesto Laclau in the 1990s.
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
empty signifier. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/empty%20signifier
“empty signifier.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/empty%20signifier. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “empty signifier,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/empty%20signifier.
Source: empty signifier on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.