Holloweness

Holloweness is a noun describing the state or quality of being hollow. It can refer to literal emptiness, such as an object with an empty interior, or to figurative emptiness, such as experiences, beliefs, or relationships that lack substance, depth, or meaning. The spelling holloweness is uncommon; most usage adheres to hollowness, with holloweness appearing mainly in historical, poetic, or stylistic contexts.

Etymology and usage notes: holloweness is formed from the word hollow plus the abstract noun suffix -ness. Its variant spelling highlights a nonstandard construction that may appear in older texts or in attempts to emphasize an inner emptiness. In standard modern usage, hollowness is the preferred form.

Dimensions and applications: In psychological and existential contexts, hollowness describes a perceived lack of inner content, authenticity, or purpose, sometimes accompanied by numbness or detachment. In aesthetics and cultural critique, hollowness can denote superficial appearances that mask or replace substantive value, such as mass-produced experiences, commodified culture, or rhetoric without conviction. The concept is often linked to feelings of alienation or disconnection from self or community.

Cultural and scholarly usage: The idea of hollowness appears in literature, philosophy, and social critique as a lens for examining modern life, authenticity, and meaning. Discussions typically distinguish personal hollowness (emotional or existential emptiness) from social hollowness (superficiality or lack of genuine connection).

See also: hollowness, emptiness, authenticity, alienation, meaning in life, existentialism.