1
a
: of the nature of or resembling a shadow
b
: faintly perceptible : indistinct
2
: being in or obscured by shadow
deep shadowy interiors
3
a
b
Synonyms
Examples of shadowy in a Sentence
She was pursued by a shadowy figure.
He had only a shadowy idea of what they wanted him to do.
Recent Examples on the Web
The developers behind the apps advertising explicit AI girlfriends are shadowy.
—
Lydia Morrish, WIRED, 25 Apr. 2024
On a hulking gray building on a wide boulevard once bisected by the Berlin Wall, a silver call button grants access to an expansive, shadowy, unfurnished foyer.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 25 Apr. 2024
That twisted inner world is beautifully realized in a shadowy mélange of fringe and ruffles by the designer Tom Scutt, whose bawdy, under-the-big-top scenic and costume design is a feat of textures and deep, muted colors.
—Naveen Kumar, Variety, 22 Apr. 2024
Clergy use this shadowy hallway during services to scurry from one side of the church to the other.
—John Metcalfe, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024
The shadowy accounts that spread Princess Kate conspiracies Before Kate, the Princess of Wales, announced she had been diagnosed with cancer, #KateGate conspiracies speculating about her whereabouts ran wild on the internet.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 29 Mar. 2024
This seemed to be an ideal opportunity: Iran, for the first time from its own territory, brazenly attacked Israel without just relying on shadowy terrorists or other proxies.
—Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, TIME, 15 Apr. 2024
Manipulating everything is Denzel Washington’s shadowy operator.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 11 Apr. 2024
No hidden saboteur or shadowy agent of darkness caused this tragedy, just fallible electricity, a technology that sometimes breaks.
—Brian Klaas, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024
Lydia Morrish, WIRED, 25 Apr. 2024
On a hulking gray building on a wide boulevard once bisected by the Berlin Wall, a silver call button grants access to an expansive, shadowy, unfurnished foyer.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 25 Apr. 2024
That twisted inner world is beautifully realized in a shadowy mélange of fringe and ruffles by the designer Tom Scutt, whose bawdy, under-the-big-top scenic and costume design is a feat of textures and deep, muted colors.
—Naveen Kumar, Variety, 22 Apr. 2024
Clergy use this shadowy hallway during services to scurry from one side of the church to the other.
—John Metcalfe, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024
The shadowy accounts that spread Princess Kate conspiracies Before Kate, the Princess of Wales, announced she had been diagnosed with cancer, #KateGate conspiracies speculating about her whereabouts ran wild on the internet.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 29 Mar. 2024
This seemed to be an ideal opportunity: Iran, for the first time from its own territory, brazenly attacked Israel without just relying on shadowy terrorists or other proxies.
—Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, TIME, 15 Apr. 2024
Manipulating everything is Denzel Washington’s shadowy operator.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 11 Apr. 2024
No hidden saboteur or shadowy agent of darkness caused this tragedy, just fallible electricity, a technology that sometimes breaks.
—Brian Klaas, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shadowy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near shadowy
Cite this Entry
“Shadowy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shadowy. Accessed 1 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shadowy
adjective
shad·owy
ˈshad-ə-wē 
1
a
: not realistic
shadowy dreams of glory
b
: dim as a shadow
the shadowy area between good and bad
2
: full of shade
a shadowy lane
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