hiatus

Meaning

1. A gap in a series, making it incomplete.
2. An interruption, break or pause.
3. An unexpected break from work.
4. A gap in geological strata.
5. An opening in an organ.
6. A syllable break between two vowels, without an intervening consonant. (Compare diphthong.)
7. A temporary absence from the public or the mainstream.

Synonyms

gap

abatement

respite

break

suspension

reprieve

foramen

lacuna

interval

rest

interruption

pause

recess

vacancy

deletion

difference

discontinuation

discontinuity

disparity

emptiness

fissure

chasm

breathing space

gulf

halt

hernia

intermission

interpellation

interrupt

vacuum

interstice

blank space

blank

let-up

moratorium

omission

wait

punctuation

window

🪟

areola

air gap

adjournment

rift

rupture

slit

slot

space

stopover

abort

time-out

crack

vacuity

chink

crevice

deficiency

deficit

Pronounced as (IPA)

/haɪˈeɪtəs/

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin hiātus (“opening”) (mid-16th century), from hiō (“stand open, yawn”).