Definitions

hollow-eyed

[hol-oh-ahyd] / ˈhɒl oʊˌaɪd /

ADJECTIVE

haggard

Synonyms

WEAK

ashen careworn drawn emaciated exhausted faded fagged fatigued fretted gaunt ghastly lank lean pale pallid pinched scraggy scrawny shrunken skinny spare starved thin tired wan wasted weak wearied worn worn-down wrinkled

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The pictures show a pallid, hollow-eyed man, resembling Poe, who’s sitting by the fire in his dressing gown when there comes a gentle “rapping, rapping” at the door.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 9, 2025

At the Minsk airport, Iraqi families slumped hollow-eyed in seats as the plane was delayed several hours.

From Washington Post • Nov. 21, 2021

Republican Richard Nixon, who had been sick and in the hospital, looked hollow-eyed and had a five o’clock shadow.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 26, 2020

There’s far more turbulence onboard, where the hollow-eyed man and a handful of others rise before the sun and work into the night, though work is too dignified a word to describe this hell.

From New York Times • Sep. 10, 2020

She was blank and hollow-eyed, and there was despair in the set of her features.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt