hollowly

IPA/ˈhɒləʊli/
IPA/ˈhɑːləʊli/

hollowly — adverb

1. said or done with no real feeling or honest belief behind it, so that the words

1.adverbB2
Definition

said or done with no real feeling or honest belief behind it, so that the words or actions come across as empty and fake.

Example

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

Common collocations
  • hollowly promised
  • hollowly apologised
  • hollowly laughed
  • hollowly reassured
Synonyms
  • insincerely

    more direct about dishonest intent; 'hollowly' emphasises emptiness rather than deceit

  • falsely

    stronger accusation of deception; 'hollowly' can describe disappointed sincerity too

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

hollowly + said/promised/apologised

Usage Note

Commonly pairs with verbs of speaking or expressing emotion (said, promised, laughed, apologised) to emphasise that the behaviour is not backed by real feeling.

Common Mistakes

He hollowly knocked on the door three times.
He knocked hollowly on the door.
'hollowly' in the empty-sound sense usually goes after the verb, not before it, though both positions are possible.

2. producing a low, echoing noise like the sound of a hard object hitting against a

2.adverbB2
Definition

producing a low, echoing noise like the sound of a hard object hitting against an empty space or container.

Example

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

Common collocations
  • rang hollowly
  • echoed hollowly
  • knocked hollowly
  • thudded hollowly
Synonyms
  • resonantly

    focuses on the echoing quality; 'hollowly' adds emptiness

  • dully

    softer and less clear; 'hollowly' has more echo

Antonyms
  • solidly

    producing a full, firm sound with no echo

  • softly

    muffled sound without resonance

Grammar Patterns

hollowly + verb of hitting/falling/striking

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

Hollowly emphasises the emptiness behind an action — the person making the promise or apology may even want to mean it, but the words come out without real feeling. Insincerely implies a stronger element of dishonesty; someone who speaks insincerely is aware they are pretending. Falsely carries the strongest accusation of deceit and is often used with claims or statements of fact. Half-heartedly describes effort that is weak or unenthusiastic rather than dishonest. For example: 'She hollowly repeated the company slogan' suggests she no longer believed it, whereas 'She insincerely praised the project' means she was being deliberately deceptive.

hollowly ↗insincerely ↗falsely ↗half-heartedly ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • hollowly + verb of speaking
  • hollowly + verb of impact
  • rang hollowly
  • echoed hollowly
  • knocked hollowly

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Formed from the adjective 'hollow' (from Old English 'holh', meaning a hollow or cavity — related to 'hole') plus the adverbial suffix '-ly'. The two main senses — 'insincerely' (16th century figurative extension) and 'with an echoing sound' (literal) — both draw on the core image of something empty: either a space that echoes or a promise that lacks substance.