Synonyms

hollow-eyed

American

[hol-oh-ahyd] / ˈhɒl oʊˌaɪd /

adjective

having sunken eyes.

hollow-eyed British

adjective

with the eyes appearing to be sunk into the face, as from excessive fatigue

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of hollow-eyed

First recorded in 1520–30

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The pictures show a pallid, hollow-eyed man, resembling Poe, who’s sitting by the fire in his dressing gown when there comes a gentle “rapping, rapping” at the door.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 9, 2025

School district lawyers, contrary to popular belief and Disney Channel sitcoms are not hollow-eyed pencil pushers, who live to squelch liberty and creativity in red tape and regulation.

From Slate • Jun. 29, 2022

At the Minsk airport, Iraqi families slumped hollow-eyed in seats as the plane was delayed several hours.

From Washington Post • Nov. 21, 2021

Republican Richard Nixon, who had been sick and in the hospital, looked hollow-eyed and had a five o’clock shadow.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 26, 2020

But all she got was a bewildered, hollow-eyed look.

From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023