hollowly
hollowly — adverb
1. said or done with no real feeling or honest belief behind it, so that the words
said or done with no real feeling or honest belief behind it, so that the words or actions come across as empty and fake.
Tariq smiled hollowly and told his friends everything was fine, even though he was heartbroken.
hollowly + told (verb of speaking) showing fake reassurance
The minister hollowly promised to fix the problems, but nobody in the audience believed a single promise.
hollowly + promised — insincere political commitment
Diego laughed hollowly at his own joke when no one else in the room even smiled.
- insincerely
more direct about dishonest intent; 'hollowly' emphasises emptiness rather than deceit
- falsely
stronger accusation of deception; 'hollowly' can describe disappointed sincerity too
文法句型
hollowly + said/promised/apologised
用法筆記
Commonly pairs with verbs of speaking or expressing emotion (said, promised, laughed, apologised) to emphasise that the behaviour is not backed by real feeling.
常見錯誤
2. producing a low, echoing noise like the sound of a hard object hitting against a
producing a low, echoing noise like the sound of a hard object hitting against an empty space or container.
Fatima dropped the metal spoon on the kitchen floor and it rang hollowly against the tiles.
rang hollowly — verb + adverb describing metallic impact sound
The old wooden stairs echoed hollowly under Chitra's footsteps as she crept down to the basement.
echoed hollowly — sound resonating in an empty space
A thin branch knocked hollowly against the windowpane during the windy autumn night.
- resonantly
focuses on the echoing quality; 'hollowly' adds emptiness
- dully
softer and less clear; 'hollowly' has more echo
文法句型
hollowly + verb of hitting/falling/striking