shadowy

adjective

shad·​owy ˈsha-dō-ē 

-də-wē

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

: shady sense 1

b

: shady sense 3

shadowily

ˈsha-də-wə-lē 

adverb

shadowiness

ˈsha-də-wē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• blear
• bleary
• blurry
• dim
• faint
• foggy
• fuzzy
• gauzy
• hazy
• indefinite
• indistinct
• indistinguishable
• misty
• murky
• nebulous
• obscure
• opaque
• pale
• unclear
• undefined
• undetermined
• vague

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

In a shadowy forest of eastern Thailand, a mother tiger moved through the trees with her three cubs running around her paws. —Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 30 Apr. 2025

Fine details of fur and bark are clearly visible both in sunlight and under shade, with the mini-LED backlight keeping the sunny parts of the frame bright and the shadowy parts dark. —PC Magazine, 28 Apr. 2025

The galaxy is tilted almost edge-on to Earth, and features a bright active core and thick, shadowy dust lanes that span some 50,000 light years across. —Anthony Wood, Space.com, 26 Apr. 2025

The detective has shadowy connections to the mayoral candidate. —David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 24 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids 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