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Despairing vs Hollow - What's the difference?

despairing | hollow |

As adjectives the difference between despairing and hollow

is that despairing is feeling, expressing, or caused by despair; hopeless while hollow is (of something solid) having an empty space or cavity inside.

As verbs the difference between despairing and hollow

is that despairing is while hollow is to make a hole in something; to excavate (transitive) or hollow can be to urge or call by shouting; to hollo.

As nouns the difference between despairing and hollow

is that despairing is a mood or display of despair while hollow is a small valley between mountains; a low spot surrounded by elevations.

As an adverb hollow is

(colloquial) completely, as part of the phrase beat hollow or beat all hollow.

As an interjection hollow is

.

despairing

English

Adjective

(-)
  • Feeling, expressing, or caused by despair; hopeless.

    • Verb

    (head)

    • Noun

    (en noun)
  • A mood or display of despair.
  • * (Thomas Carlyle)
    • But what things soever passed in him, when he ceased to see it; what ragings and despairings soever Teufelsdrockh's soul was the scene of, he has the goodness to conceal under a quite opaque cover of Silence.

    hollow

    English

    Alternative forms

    * holler

    Etymology 1

    (etyl) holw, holh, from (etyl) . More at cave.

    Adjective

    (er)
  • (of something solid) Having an empty space or cavity inside.
    • a hollow''' tree; a '''hollow sphere
  • (of a sound) Distant]], eerie; echoing, [[reverberate, reverberating, as if in a hollow space; dull, muffled; often low-pitched.
    • a hollow moan
    (Dryden)
  • (figuratively) Without substance; having no real or significant worth; meaningless.
    • a hollow victory
  • (figuratively) Insincere, devoid of validity; specious.
    • a hollow promise
  • Depressed; concave; gaunt; sunken.
  • * Shakespeare
    • With hollow eye and wrinkled brow.
    Derived terms
    * hollow leg

    Adverb

    (-)
  • (colloquial) Completely, as part of the phrase beat hollow or beat all hollow.

    • Etymology 2

    (etyl) holow, earlier holgh, from (etyl) . See above.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A small valley between mountains; a low spot surrounded by elevations.
  • * Prior
    • Forests grew upon the barren hollows .
  • * Tennyson
    • I hate the dreadful hollow behind the little wood.
    He built himself a cabin in a hollow high up in the Rockies.
  • A sunken area or unfilled space in something solid; a cavity, natural or artificial.
    • the hollow of the hand or of a tree
  • (US) A sunken area.
  • (figuratively) A feeling of emptiness.
    • a hollow in the pit of one's stomach

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • to make a hole in something; to excavate (transitive)

    • Etymology 3

    Compare holler.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To urge or call by shouting; to hollo.
  • * Sir Walter Scott
    • He has hollowed the hounds.

    Interjection

    (en interjection)
    • (Webster 1913)