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 of shadowy

• vague
• faint
• hazy

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 moon's immense shadow was also spied by South Korea's GEO-KOMPSAT-2A weather satellite from its perch 22,370 miles (36,000 km) above Earth in geostationary orbit, close to the shadowy line of the night-day terminator. —Anthony Wood, Space.com, 18 Feb. 2026

That’s both difficult and oddly simple for Court, whose shadowy existence is so undercover that many doubt the Gray Man exists. —Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 17 Feb. 2026

But the textures also start to get too uniformly shadowy, the beats too stiff. —Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 13 Feb. 2026

People familiar with Wallace’s work have likened him to Ray Donovan, the eponymous shadowy troubleshooter from the Showtime series. —Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 11 Feb. 2026

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