hollow

[hol-oh]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR hollow ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, hol·low·er, hol·low·est.

having a space or cavity inside; not solid; empty: a hollow sphere.

having a depression or concavity: a hollow surface.

sunken, as the cheeks or eyes.

(of sound) not resonant; dull, muffled, or deep: a hollow voice.

without real or significant worth; meaningless: a hollow victory.

insincere or false: hollow compliments.

hungry; having an empty feeling: I feel absolutely hollow, so let's eat.

noun

an empty space within anything; a hole, depression, or cavity.

a valley: They took the sheep to graze in the hollow.

Foundry. a concavity connecting two surfaces otherwise intersecting at an obtuse angle.

verb (used with object)

to make hollow (often followed by out): to hollow out a log.

to form by making something hollow (often followed by out): to hollow a place in the sand; boats hollowed out of logs.

verb (used without object)

to become hollow.

adverb

in a hollow manner: The politician's accusations rang hollow.

Idioms

beat all hollow, to surpass or outdo completely: His performance beat the others all hollow.Also beat hollow.

Origin of hollow

before 900; Middle English holw(e), holow, Old English holh a hollow place; akin to hole

Related formshol·low·ly, adverbhol·low·ness, nounhalf-hol·low, adjectiveun·hol·low, adjectiveun·hol·lowed, adjective

Synonyms for hollow

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR hollow ON THESAURUS.COM

5. vain, empty, futile, pointless.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for hollowness

vacuousness, destitution, desolation, chasm, blank, gap, vacancy, barrenness, vacuum, vacuity, waste, void, exhaustion, inanity, inanition

Examples from the Web for hollowness

Contemporary Examples of hollowness

But the closing of one school after another exposes the hollowness of those promises.
The West Made Lots of Promises to Afghan Girls, Now It’s Breaking Them
Heather Barr
October 20, 2014
My voice sounded cheerful and supportive, properly concealing the hollowness I felt.
My Attack of Model Jealousy
Anonymous
February 9, 2014
In his voluble, guns-blazing manner, Adrover made the hollowness of New York Fashion Week, which ends Thursday, apparent.
Designing for the One Percent at New York Fashion Week
Robin Givhan
February 14, 2012
We know too much now about the hollowness of institutions and the frailty of their leaders.
The Naked Truth
Tina Brown
February 18, 2009

Historical Examples of hollowness

Laura smiled as she glanced at his face, but it was not its hollowness she was thinking of.
The Greater Power
Harold Bindloss
How can a man of your age talk of being melancholy, or of the hollowness of existence?
The Upper Berth
Francis Marion Crawford
You are Canadian—in you I can banish the coldness, hollowness, and degeneracy of Europe.
The False Chevalier
William Douw Lighthall
There were no tears in his eyes, but a feeling of hollowness about his heart, and a great pain.
Riders of the Silences
John Frederick
They gave off a muffled clink of hollowness when he tapped them.
The Devil's Asteroid
Manly Wade Wellman

British Dictionary definitions for hollowness

hollow

adjective

having a hole, cavity, or space within; not solid

having a sunken area; concave

recessed or deeply sethollow cheeks

(of sounds) as if resounding in a hollow place

without substance or validity

hungry or empty

insincere; cynical

a hollow leg or hollow legs the capacity to eat or drink a lot without ill effects

adverb

beat someone hollow British informal to defeat someone thoroughly and convincingly

noun

a cavity, opening, or space in or within something

a depression or dip in the land

verb (often foll by out, usually when tr)

to make or become hollow

to form (a hole, cavity, etc) or (of a hole, etc) to be formed

Derived Formshollowly, adverbhollowness, noun

Word Origin for hollow

C12: from holu, inflected form of Old English holh cave; related to Old Norse holr, German hohl; see hole

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

Word Origin and History for hollowness

hollow

adj.

c.1200, from Old English holh (n.) "hollow place, hole," from Proto-Germanic *hul-, from PIE *kel- "to cover, conceal" (see cell). The figurative sense of "insincere" is attested from 1520s. Related: Hollowly; hollowness. To carry it hollow "take it completely" is first recorded 1660s, of unknown origin or connection.

hollow

late 14c., holowen, from hollow (adj.). Related: Hollowed; hollowing.

hollow

"lowland, valley, basin," 1550s, probably a modern formation from hollow (adj.). Old English had holh (n.) "cave, den; internal cavity."

Idioms and Phrases with hollowness

hollow

see beat the pants off (hollow).