HOLLOWNESS
oʊ adjective
1.
having a space or cavity inside; not solid; empty: a hollow sphere.
2.
having a depression or concavity: a hollow surface.
3.
sunken, as the cheeks or eyes.
4.
(of sound) not resonant; dull, muffled, or deep: a hollow voice.
5.
without real or significant worth; meaningless: a hollow victory.
noun
8.
an empty space within anything; a hole, depression, or cavity.
9.
a valley: They took the sheep to graze in the hollow.
10.
Foundry. a concavity connecting two surfaces otherwise intersecting at an obtuse angle.
00:10
Hollowness
is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
verb (used with object)
11.
to make hollow (often followed by out ): to hollow out a log.
12.
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)
13.
to become hollow.
adverb
Idioms 14.
in a hollow manner: The politician's accusations rang hollow.
15.
beat all hollow, to surpass or outdo completely: His performance beat the others all hollow. Also, beat hollow.
Related forms
hol·low·ly, adverb
hol·low·ness, noun
half-hol·low, adjective
un·hol·low, adjective
un·hol·lowed, adjective
Synonyms
5. vain, empty, futile, pointless.
5. vain, empty, futile, pointless.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To hollowness
Collins
World English Dictionary
hollow (ˈhɒləʊ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | having a hole, cavity, or space within; not solid |
| 2. | having a sunken area; concave |
| 3. | recessed or deeply set: hollow cheeks |
| 4. | (of sounds) as if resounding in a hollow place |
| 5. | without substance or validity |
| 6. | hungry or empty |
| 7. | insincere; cynical |
| 8. | a hollow leg, hollow legs the capacity to eat or drink a lot without ill effects |
| —adv | |
| 9. | informal (Brit) beat someone hollow to defeat someone thoroughly and convincingly |
| —n | |
| 10. | a cavity, opening, or space in or within something |
| 11. | a depression or dip in the land |
| —vb (often foll by out, | |
| 12. | to make or become hollow |
| 13. | to form (a hole, cavity, etc) or (of a hole, etc) to be formed |
| [C12: from holu, inflected form of Old English holh cave; related to Old Norse holr, German hohl; see | |
| 'hollowly | |
| —adv | |
| 'hollowness | |
| —n | |
| hollow (ˈhɒləʊ) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | having a hole, cavity, or space within; not solid |
| 2. | having a sunken area; concave |
| 3. | recessed or deeply set: hollow cheeks |
| 4. | (of sounds) as if resounding in a hollow place |
| 5. | without substance or validity |
| 6. | hungry or empty |
| 7. | insincere; cynical |
| 8. | a hollow leg, hollow legs the capacity to eat or drink a lot without ill effects |
| —adv | |
| 9. | informal (Brit) beat someone hollow to defeat someone thoroughly and convincingly |
| —n | |
| 10. | a cavity, opening, or space in or within something |
| 11. | a depression or dip in the land |
| —vb (often foll by out, | |
| 12. | to make or become hollow |
| 13. | to form (a hole, cavity, etc) or (of a hole, etc) to be formed |
| [C12: from holu, inflected form of Old English holh cave; related to Old Norse holr, German hohl; see | |
| 'hollowly | |
| —adv | |
| 'hollowness | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
hollow
O.E. holh (n.) "hollow place, hole," from P.Gmc. *holhwo-, related to hol "hole" (see hole). The noun sense of "lowland, valley, basin" is 1553. The verb is from M.E. holowen. The figurative sense of "insincere" is attested from 1529. To carry it hollow "take it completely"
is first recorded 1668, of unknown origin or connection.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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