ring hollow

present singular third person rings hollow · participle present ringing hollow · past rang hollow · participle past rung hollow

1. idiomaticTo seem to be false or implausible; to be unconvincing.

   In his own ears the words he spoke rang hollow, awkward, even impertinent. He could say nothing which did not seem hideously supercilious.

   1901, W. Somerset Maugham, chapter 9, in The Hero

   1 more example

   Recognising your mistake and atoning for it is, of course, to be applauded, but after all the decades of cover-up of sexual abuse by clergy, it rang hollow for many.

   2025 April 21, Peter Stanford, “Pope Francis obituary”, in The Guardian

   Synonyms: ring false