hollowness

Examples

• All

• "And I love you," she said, but she heard the hollowness in it.

  Fiction book (1999)

• Though she admits to feeling she has merely "the likeness of a life," Lila acknowledges that much of her hollowness can be attributed to loneliness, the feeling that pushes her to demand more than basic necessity from her life.

  Academic text (2018)

• Wren felt a great hollowness open within.

  Fiction book (1992)

• And that emptiness and that hollowness can then actually also be followed by symptoms of depression and anxiety.

• The massacre in Beijing revealed the hollowness of all those notions.

  Academic text (1991)

• Well, it's about the hollowness and angst of living in today's world.

  A Long Way Off (2014)

• You know, I could hear his laugh — the pain in that laugh, the hollowness.

  My Dinner with Andre (1981)

• Moreover, the hollowness of the words suggests the father's speech is incapable of fulfilling its function in the metaphor.

  Academic text (2016)

• Merriam's note clearly exposes the hollowness of the State Department's claims in support of majority rule and self-determination.

  Academic text (2004)

• And I think most significant is the hollowness and insatiable nature of Gynt and Kane's ambition.

  Blog text (16)

Synonyms

V

void

vshollowness

182 6.5

A very empty space or feeling that is hard to fill

applies this emptiness inward to feelings rather than literal space

E

emptiness

vshollowness

58 5.3

A feeling that life has no meaning

focuses specifically on absent sincere feeling or emotional depth

N

numbness

vshollowness

5 4.6

A lack of feeling or interest in things often after long stress

refers to an inner void of meaning rather than simple apathy

I

insincerity

vshollowness

4 5.6

Not showing true feelings when you speak or act

focuses on an inner lack of sincere feeling rather than deceit

M

meaninglessness

vshollowness

4 7.6

A feeling that what you do has no purpose or value

is about missing sincere meaning or emotional fulfilment inside

B

blankness

vshollowness

4 4.3

A feeling of emptiness with no thoughts or emotion

contrasts inner lack of sincere feeling with mere empty appearance

S

shallowness

vshollowness

3 5.4

A person or idea that shows little deep thought and weak feeling

is about an internal void of meaning rather than shallow knowledge

E

empty words

vshollowness

3 5.1

Talk that has no real meaning and is not useful

refers to emotional emptiness inside a person not just speech

F

falseness

vshollowness

2 5.8

A way of speaking or acting that is not true

points to missing heartfelt meaning rather than simple untruth

S

soullessness

vshollowness

1 7.7

A feeling of cold emptiness and lack of human warmth

relates this coldness specifically to lacking sincere meaning inside

V

vacuity

vshollowness

1 9.2

A lack of ideas or meaning

adds inner lack of sincere feeling to lack of ideas

L

lifelessness

vshollowness

1 5.4

A lack of life, energy, or movement

describes missing emotional fulfilment rather than mere dullness

E

empty talk

vshollowness

1 4.3

Words that sound important but have no real meaning or action

adds the idea of personal emotional emptiness beyond mere talk

I

idle words

vshollowness

1 8.0

Words that people say but do not mean

describes inner void or lack of true feeling rather than idle talk

V

vacuousness

vshollowness

• Formal

1 9.2

A state of being empty of meaning and thought

extends that emptiness to feelings and lack of sincerity

L

lack of authenticity

vshollowness

6.6

A state in which something is not real or genuine

highlights inner emptiness of feeling rather than surface inauthenticity

V

voidness

vshollowness

8.1

A feeling of emptiness after something important ends

uses that lack to describe missing emotional meaning or sincerity

I

insubstantiality

vshollowness

9.2

A lack of being real, strong, or convincing

points to missing sincere feeling rather than mere weak substance

D

depthlessness

vshollowness

9.3

A quality of being shallow in a place or in meaning and feeling

emphasizes missing sincere emotion rather than surface shallowness

D

desolateness

vshollowness

7.5

A feeling of being very lonely and empty after loss

uses emptiness inwardly to mean lack of sincere feeling

V

vacantness

vshollowness

6.6

A blank look that shows no clear thought or feeling

describes an internal absence of meaning beyond the blank look

Antonyms

S

sincerity

71 3.1

A feeling of being honest and not pretending

How Meaningful

authenticity

71 4.8

insincerity

4 5.6

hollowness

2 7.1

meaninglessness

4 7.6

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology