Synonyms of hollow

hollow 1 of 3

adjective

ˈhä-(ˌ)lō 

as in concave

curved inward

there's a noticeably hollow spot in the mattress where he has been sleeping

Synonyms & Similar Words

• concave
• sunken
• depressed
• dimpled
• cupped
• indented
• recessed
• dished
• dented
• compressed
• cavernous
• alveolar
• crescentic
• cuplike
• recurved
• reduced
• diminished
• condensed
• cuppy
• pockmarked
• contracted

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• convex
• protuberant
• bulbous
• swollen
• projecting
• risen
• enlarged
• inflated
• distended
• puffy
• extended
• protruding
• bloated
• spherical
• round
• bulging
• rounded
• blown up
• protrusive
• domed
• expanded
• cambered
• globular
• ballooning
• global
• puffed
• jutting

hollow

2 of 3

noun

1

as in hole

a sunken area forming a separate space

made a little hollow in her mound of mashed potatoes and filled it with gravy

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hole
• dent
• cavity
• pit
• furrow
• concavity
• indentation
• ditch
• recess
• depression
• cavern
• dint
• cave
• valley
• trench
• bowl
• burrow
• groove
• impression
• alcove
• indenture
• pocket
• trough
• basin
• excavation
• opening
• gutter
• socket
• crater
• dimple
• cleft
• vacuum
• void
• nook
• niche
• gouge
• abyss
• imprint
• alveolus
• chasm
• well
• water hole
• borehole
• notch
• pothole
• sinkhole
• vacuity
• posthole
• wallow
• chuckhole
• gulf

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• projection
• bulge
• protrusion
• hill
• convexity
• rise
• camber
• protuberance
• mound
• jut
• swelling
• tumor
• lump
• swell
• bunch
• bump
• hump
• pimple

2

as in valley

an area of lowland between hills or mountains

a quaint village nestled in a hollow among green hills

Synonyms & Similar Words

• valley
• ravine
• canyon
• vale
• glen
• gorge
• dale
• dene
• gully
• bowl
• gulch
• rift valley
• combe
• dell
• basin
• dingle
• depression
• kloof

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• mountain
• peak
• mount
• summit
• height
• pinnacle
• plateau
• mountaintop
• alp
• tableland

hollow

3 of 3

verb

as in to gouge

Related Words

• gouge
• penetrate
• groove
• excavate
• burrow (into)
• slit
• split
• cut
• rupture
• slash
• rend
• notch
• prick
• poke
• bore
• hole
• gash
• tap
• break
• pierce
• drill
• perforate
• puncture
• punch
• broach
• prickle
• riddle

Dissimilar Words

• fill
• patch
• seal
• plug

Synonym Chooser

How is the word hollow distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of hollow are empty, idle, nugatory, otiose, and vain. While all these words mean "being without worth or significance," empty and hollow suggest a deceiving lack of real substance or soundness or genuineness.

an empty attempt at reconciliation

a hollow victory

When is it sensible to use idle instead of hollow?

Although the words idle and hollow have much in common, idle suggests being incapable of worthwhile use or effect.

idle speculations

When could nugatory be used to replace hollow?

The synonyms nugatory and hollow are sometimes interchangeable, but nugatory suggests triviality or insignificance.

a monarch with nugatory powers

When can otiose be used instead of hollow?

In some situations, the words otiose and hollow are roughly equivalent. However, otiose suggests that something serves no purpose and is either an encumbrance or a superfluity.

a film without a single otiose scene

Where would vain be a reasonable alternative to hollow?

While in some cases nearly identical to hollow, vain implies either absolute or relative absence of value.

vain promises

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of hollow

Adjective

Duckworth also faced backlash from critics who argued that her message was, at best, a series of hollow exhortations to simply try harder and, at worst, an insidious form of victim-blaming that ignored structural inequality. — Meghan O’Gieblyn, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026

Well, that promise now rings hollow in the ears of every TSA worker today. — Hydrick Thomas, New York Daily News, 11 Sep. 2026

Noun

Mosses and lichens filled the hollows, while yellowish dead man’s fingers — a spooky and thus aptly named fungus — curled among low-growing rhododendrons that perfumed the air with warm, woody notes. — Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 21 Aug. 2026

These snakes lay 4–15 eggs in tree hollows, which hatch in about 45 days. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Aug. 2026

Verb

That, in the end, is what separates productive worry from the kind that hollows you out. — Angela Haupt, Time, 8 May 2026

For owners, labor has always been a cost center; AI is the first technology that credibly promises to hollow it out entirely. — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026