shallow

1 of 3

adjective

shal·​low ˈsha-(ˌ)lō 

1

: having little depth

shallow water

2

: having little extension inward or backward

office buildings have taken the form of shallow slabs

—Lewis Mumford

3

a

: penetrating only the easily or quickly perceived

shallow generalizations

b

: lacking in depth of knowledge, thought, or feeling

a shallow demagogue

4

: displacing comparatively little air : weak

shallow breathing

shallowly

ˈsha-lō-lē 

-lə-lē

adverb

shallowness noun

shallow

2 of 3

verb

shallowed; shallowing; shallows

transitive verb

: to make shallow

intransitive verb

: to become shallow

shallow

3 of 3

noun

: a shallow place or area in a body of water

—usually used in plural but singular or plural in construction

Synonyms

Adjective

• shoal
• superficial
• restricted
• smooth
• surface

Noun

• shoal
• bank
• ford
• bar

Choose the Right Synonym for shallow

superficial, shallow, cursory mean lacking in depth or solidity.

superficial implies a concern only with surface aspects or obvious features.

a superficial analysis of the problem

shallow is more generally derogatory in implying lack of depth in knowledge, reasoning, emotions, or character.

a light, shallow, and frivolous review

cursory suggests a lack of thoroughness or a neglect of details.

gave the letter only a cursory reading

Examples of shallow in a Sentence

Adjective

The shallow end of the pool is only three feet deep.

Her boyfriends were all shallow creeps.

She could only take shallow breaths.

His breathing became very shallow.

Noun

we waded through the shallows looking for tadpoles

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

These shallow parcels cannot absorb high-rises without overwhelming adjacent neighborhoods. —Patricia Sharkey, Chicago Tribune, 2 Sep. 2025

The earthquake, with a magnitude of 6, struck around midnight local time on Monday, at a shallow depth of 10 km (6 miles), with the eastern provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar being the worst hit. —Mohammad Yunus Yawar, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2025

Verb

Logan O’Hoppe then hit a fly ball to shallow right, not deep enough to score the run. —Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 30 Aug. 2025

On the last of them, a full-count fastball at 102 bearing in on his hands, Baty fought the ball off to shallow left field, just in front of a charging Brandon Marsh to load the bases with nobody out. —Tim Britton, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025

Noun

The aquatic plant once lined the shallows off the bay’s shoreline from Sausalito’s Spinnaker restaurant north to the Strawberry Peninsula point — the second largest bed in San Francisco Bay. —Steven Rosenfeld, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025

Kayak through tranquil mangrove forests, where herons and egrets wade in the shallows. —Uncruise Adventures, AFAR Media, 3 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English schalowe; probably akin to Old English sceald shallow — more at skeleton

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1510, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Noun

1569, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for shallow

• callow
• hallo
• hallow
• mallow
• palo
• sallow
• tallow
• caballo
• cavallo

Kids Definition

shallow

1 of 2 adjective

shal·​low ˈshal-ō 

1

: having little depth

shallow water

2

: showing little knowledge, thought, or feeling

shallowly adverb

shallowness noun

shallow

2 of 2 noun

: a shallow place or area in a body of water

—usually used in plural

Medical Definition

shallow

adjective

shal·​low ˈshal-(ˌ)ō, -ə(-w) 

: displacing comparatively little air

shallow breathing