Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

hollow

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of hollow

curved inward
  • There's a noticeably hollow spot in the mattress where he has been sleeping.
Synonyms of hollow

concave, dented, depressed, indented, recessed, sunken
Words Related to hollow

alveolar, cavernous, crescentic, cuplike, cupped, cuppy, recurved

dimpled, pockmarked

compressed, condensed, contracted, diminished, reduced
Near Antonyms of hollow

ballooning, bloated, blown up, bulbous, distended, enlarged, expanded, extended, inflated, jutting, projecting, puffed, puffy, risen, swollen

domed, global, globular, round, rounded, spherical
Antonyms of hollow

bulging, cambered, convex, protruding, protrusive, protuberant

Synonym Discussion of hollow

vain, nugatory, otiose, idle, empty, hollow mean being without worth or significance. vain implies either absolute or relative absence of value.
    • vain promises
nugatory suggests triviality or insignificance.
    • a monarch with nugatory powers
otiose suggests that something serves no purpose and is either an encumbrance or a superfluity.
    • a film without a single otiose scene
idle suggests being incapable of worthwhile use or effect.
    • idle speculations
empty and hollow suggest a deceiving lack of real substance or soundness or genuineness.
    • an empty attempt at reconciliation
    • a hollow victory

hollow

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of hollow

1 a sunken area forming a separate space
  • She made a little hollow in her mound of mashed potatoes and filled it with gravy.
Synonyms of hollow

cavity, concavity, dent, depression, dint, hole, indentation, indenture, pit, recess
Words Related to hollow

burrow, cave, cavern, ditch, excavation, furrow, groove, gutter, trench, trough

basin, bowl, valley

alcove, cleft, niche, nook, opening, recess, socket

alveolus, dimple, gouge, impression, imprint, notch, pocket

borehole, chuckhole, crater, posthole, pothole, sinkhole, wallow, water hole, well

abyss, chasm, gulf, vacuity, vacuum, void
Near Antonyms of hollow

hill, mound, rise

bump, bunch, hump, lump, pimple, swell, swelling, tumor
Antonyms of hollow

bulge, convexity, jut, projection, protrusion, protuberance
2 an area of lowland between hills or mountains
  • a quaint village nestled in a hollow among green hills
Synonyms of hollow

dale, vale, valley
Words Related to hollow

canyon (also cañon), dell, depression, dingle, glen, gorge, gulch, gully (also gulley), ravine, rift valley

basin, bowl
Near Antonyms of hollow

alp, mount, mountain, peak

height, mountaintop, pinnacle, summit

plateau, tableland

Learn More about hollow

  1. See words that rhyme with hollow Dictionary: Definition of hollow Medical Dictionary: Definition of hollow Spanish Central: Translation of hollow Nglish: Translation of hollow for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of hollow for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up hollow? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games