empty assertions

[ˈɛmpti əˈsɜrʃənz]
noun phrase
afirmações vazias
1. statements or claims made without evidence, proof, or substance; unsubstantiated declarations
The politician's speech was filled with empty assertions about improving the economy without any concrete plan.
O discurso do político estava cheio de afirmações vazias sobre melhorar a economia sem nenhum plano concreto.
2. In logic and argumentation, claims presented as fact without logical support or factual basis
His argument collapsed when we realized they were merely empty assertions with no data to back them up.
Seu argumento desabou quando percebemos que eram meramente afirmações vazias sem dados para sustentá-las.
3. Hollow or meaningless statements made to sound impressive or authoritative but lacking substance
The company's marketing campaign relied on empty assertions rather than demonstrable product benefits.
A campanha de marketing da empresa dependia de afirmações vazias em vez de benefícios de produtos demonstráveis.
This phrase is frequently used in both American political discourse and Brazilian media criticism. In the USA, it's commonly heard in debates about political campaigns and corporate advertising. In Brazil, 'afirmações vazias' is particularly prevalent in journalistic critiques of political promises and business claims, reflecting a cultural skepticism toward unverified statements from authority figures.
NYC Slang
hot air; BS; baloney
Synonyms / Sinônimos
baseless claimsunfounded statementshollow declarationsunsubstantiated assertionsgroundless assertionsunsupported claimsmere assertions
Antonyms / Antônimos
evidence-based statementssubstantiated claimssupported assertionswell-documented statementsfactual claims

Regional Variations

General Brazilian Portuguese
afirmações vazias
Standard usage across Brazil
Rio de Janeiro
afirmações sem pé nem cabeça
Colloquial expression meaning assertions without sense or foundation
São Paulo
afirmações infundadas
More formal/technical usage, common in business contexts
Portugal
afirmações vazias / asserções infundadas
Similar to Brazilian usage, though 'asserção' is less common in spoken Portuguese

Related Words

claimassertionstatementdeclarationallegationfallacyrhetoricsophistry

Related Idioms & Phrases

talk is cheap
all talk, no action
empty words
blowing hot air
na conversa fiada (Brazilian Portuguese)
pura enrolação (Brazilian Portuguese)
Look up more words on Fala2Me
The free English-Portuguese dictionary with real Brazilian accents, NYC slang, conjugator and more
Open Fala2Me →