hollowing
Making something empty
Hollowing is the process of making something hollow—removing material from the inside to create a cavity or empty space.
A woodworker hollows out a log to make a canoe.
Figuratively, hollowing describes gradual depletion or erosion from within: the hollowing of the middle class, the hollowing out of democratic institutions.
The word often implies that the outer form remains while substance drains away.
Shape by carving
- whittleCarve by shaving layers
- gougeConcave carving blade
- chiselEdged carving implement
- scoopFirst-reported story
lathe · turnery · woodwork · dugout · mortise · router · reaming · boring
Unearth by shoveling
- burrowAnimal's dug dwelling
- tunnelEnclosed underground route
- mineOre excavation site
- quarryPit for extracting rock
dredge · trench · unearth · pit · shaft · cavity · bore · drill
Amplified oscillation at natural frequency
- reverberationProlonged reflected sound
- echoReflected sound wave
- chamberEnclosed room or cavity
- cavityEmpty space within
drum · gourd · amphora · soundbox · timbre · tone · vibration · sonorous
Removing all contents
- drainingDepleting one's reserves
- depletingProgressively using up
- numbingCausing loss of sensation
- deadeningLessening intensity or sensitivity
soul-crushing · aching · gutting · devastating · sinking · despairing · anguish · desolation
Atmospheric breakdown of materials
- corrosionChemical wearing away
- decayGradual organic breakdown
- wearingHaving clothing on
- thinningReducing density or number
degradation · dissolution · attrition · abrasion · scouring · undercutting · cavitation · pitting
sculpt
Shape by carving
scoop · lathe · turnery · woodwork · dugout · mortise · router · reaming · boring · coring
dig
Unearth by shoveling
quarry · dredge · trench · unearth · pit · shaft · cavity · bore · drill · auger
resonance
Amplified oscillation at natural frequency
- reverberationProlonged reflected sound
- echoReflected sound wave
- chamberEnclosed room or cavity
cavity · drum · gourd · amphora · soundbox · timbre · tone · vibration · sonorous · bell
emptying
Removing all contents
deadening · soul-crushing · aching · gutting · devastating · sinking · despairing · anguish · desolation · loss
weathering
Atmospheric breakdown of materials
thinning · degradation · dissolution · attrition · abrasion · scouring · undercutting · cavitation · pitting · rusting
- deformingbending, twisting, warping, curving, folding
- excavationdig, excavation, excavating, excavator, digging
- removing excesspruning, trimming, skimming, draining, filtering
- sculptingcarving, clay, modeling, molding, plaster
- earthworkdigging, excavation, excavating, trenching, shoveling
- rural declinedepopulation, rural exodus, brain drain, outmigration, dying towns
hollowingfilling
Material placed within
stuffing · packing · filling in · solidifying · plugging
hollowingsolidifying
Becoming rigid or fixed
reinforcing · strengthening · fortifying · enriching · densifying
hollowingenriching
Adding worth or nutrients
substantiating · deepening · fleshing out · filling out · bolstering
- hollowing outRemoving interior material
hollow, holler, hollering, hollows, hollowed, hollered, hollowness, hollowly, hollower