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sound hollow

[/saʊnd ˈhɑːloʊ/]
verb phrase
soar oco; parecer vazio
1. to produce a sound that lacks depth, resonance, or substance; to appear insincere or unconvincing when spoken
His apology sounded hollow because he didn't seem genuinely remorseful.
Seu pedido de desculpas soou oco porque ele não parecia genuinamente arrependido.
2. to emit a sound characteristic of empty space or lack of substance
The knock on the wooden door sounded hollow.
A batida na porta de madeira soou oca.
Synonyms
ring hollowsound insinceresound unconvincinglack convictionseem false
Antonyms
sound genuinering truesound sinceresound convincing

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
soar oco; parecer vazio
common usage in both formal and informal contexts
Portugal
soar oco; parecer vazio
standard usage, similar to Brazilian Portuguese

Related Idioms & Phrases

ring hollow
sound insincere
fall on deaf ears
empty words
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