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

• depthless
• shoal

Noun

• ford
• shoal

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

Prior to this mass stranding, there were two prior events on record in Hawaii and the Florida Keys where dolphins were seen circling in shallow water. —Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 15 July 2024

Although two prior events in Hawaii and Florida Keys show dolphin species circling in shallow water, the most recent occurrence marks the highest number of dolphins beached in a single stranding event, according to the organization. —Kara Mihm, CNN, 13 July 2024

Verb

Patrick Bailey flew out to shallow left but Hudson grooved a 1-and-0 fastball to Chapman who sent it 414 feet into the left-center field seats. —Bill Plunkett, Orange County Register, 1 July 2024

Rangers left fielder Wyatt Langford killed the Dodgers softly, flaring a first-inning RBI single to shallow right field that left his bat at 67 mph and traveled 181 feet, and blooping a third-inning RBI single to shallow right that left his bat at 60 mph and traveled 167 feet. —Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2024

Noun

Tadpole Migration by Shane Gross Every summer day in the lakes of Vancouver Island, hundreds of paperclip-sized western toad tadpoles (Anaxyrus boreas) wriggle their way from the relatively safe depths of the water into sunlit shallows, where algae thrives and dinner awaits. —Liz Lindqwister, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 July 2024

This Is Part Of The World's Best Awards See All Winners The Winner Maldives Fan after fan extolled the nearly 1,200-island nation in the Indian Ocean for relaxation and romance, with crystal-clear shallows, teeming reefs, and standard-setting, over-water villas among its many atolls. —Elaine Glusac, Travel + Leisure, 9 July 2024

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

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