hollow
B2General. Common in both literal and figurative usage across all registers.
Definition
Meaning
Having a space or cavity inside; not solid.
Without real value, sincerity, or substance; lacking depth or meaning; a sunken or depressed area in a surface.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The adjective describes physical emptiness (a hollow tree) or metaphorical emptiness (hollow victory, hollow words). The noun denotes a depression or valley. The verb means to make hollow or to form by making hollow.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minimal. The noun 'hollow' for a small valley is somewhat more common in US toponymy (e.g., Sleepy Hollow). Both use the same core senses.
Connotations
Identical. Both emphasise emptiness, lack of substance, and insincerity in figurative use.
Frequency
Equally common in both varieties. The figurative uses (hollow victory/promise) are high-frequency in both.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[verb] hollow out (phrasal verb)[adj] hollow (with) (e.g., hollow with grief)[adj] hollow (inside)[n] in the hollow of (e.g., in the hollow of her hand)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “ring hollow”
- “beat someone hollow (UK, dated)”
- “hollow out a niche”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used figuratively: 'The company's profits were a hollow achievement, gained through massive layoffs.'
Academic
Used in literary analysis: 'The poet explores the hollow nature of modern existence.' In geography/geology: 'A glacial hollow.'
Everyday
Literal: 'The dog hid in a hollow log.' Figurative: 'His apology felt hollow.'
Technical
In engineering/design: 'A hollow-core door'; in anatomy: 'The medullary hollow of a bone.'
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- They used tools to hollow out the canoe from a single log.
- The animal hollowed a space beneath the roots to make its den.
American English
- We'll need to hollow out the pumpkin for the jack-o'-lantern.
- Years of erosion hollowed the rock into an arch.
adverb
British English
- The words echoed hollowly in the empty chamber.
- He laughed hollowly at the bad news.
American English
- The ball bounced hollowly on the wooden floor.
- She spoke hollowly, with no emotion in her voice.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The chocolate egg was hollow inside.
- Birds live in the hollow tree.
- His apology sounded hollow because he didn't mean it.
- We found a small hollow in the hill to shelter from the wind.
- Winning the match felt like a hollow victory after our star player was injured.
- The sculptor hollowed out the block of wood to create a bowl.
- The political rhetoric was full of hollow promises designed to placate the public.
- Beneath his confident exterior, he was plagued by a sense of hollow despair.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
HOLLOW sounds like HOLE + LOW. Imagine a LOW area with a HOLE in it – that's a hollow.
Conceptual Metaphor
EMPTINESS IS LACK OF VALUE/TRUTH (e.g., hollow words, hollow man).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'shallow' (мелкий). 'Hollow' is about interior emptiness, not lack of depth from the top. The Russian 'пустой' can cover both 'empty' and 'hollow', but 'hollow' often implies a shaped cavity or a specific kind of metaphorical emptiness (insincere).
Common Mistakes
- Using 'hollow' to mean 'hole' (a hollow is a depression, not an opening). Confusing 'hollow' (adj/noun) with 'hallow' (verb, to make holy). Incorrect: 'He felt a hollow in his stomach.' (Correct: 'He felt a hollow feeling in his stomach.')
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence is 'hollow' used in a primarily PHYSICAL sense?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Empty' is a more general term for containing nothing. 'Hollow' specifically refers to having an empty space *inside* a surrounding material or structure (a hollow tube, a hollow tree). Figuratively, 'hollow' strongly implies a lack of sincerity or true value that is concealed by an outward appearance.
Yes. As a verb, it means 'to make hollow' or 'to form by making hollow,' often used with 'out' (e.g., 'hollow out a canoe').
It is overwhelmingly negative in figurative use (hollow victory, hollow man). In literal use, it is neutral, simply describing a physical property.
It means to sound false or insincere. It comes from the idea that a solid object rings true when struck, while a hollow one does not. Example: 'His excuses rang hollow.'
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