SHADOWS Synonyms: 131 Similar and Opposite Words

shadows 1 of 2

noun

plural of shadow

as in dark

a time or place of little or no light lurking in the shadows

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

shadows

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of shadow

as in chases

to go after or on the track of shadowing the suspect to see what he was up to

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in blurs

to make dark, dim, or indistinct thickening clouds shadowed the countryside

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in shades

to shelter (something) from light and heat a pathway shadowed by a canopy of arching branches

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of shadows

Noun

While humanity knows about superheroes like Spider-Man (hence, the events of the previous games), mutants are still largely living in the shadows. — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 22 July 2026 Lancelot, noticeably weary, impassive, and preoccupied atop an equally weary black horse, follows the sorcerer, while Merlin leads him up the path into the realm of shadows, out of the frame to the left. — Literary Hub, 22 July 2026 This dominance is physically and mentally exhausting for opponents, who are left chasing shadows as Spain’s technicians pass around them with precision. — Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 20 July 2026 Deep overhanging eaves cast long shadows across geometric leadlight windows, while thick bands of locally quarried sandstone wrap the base – Griffin’s signature, written not in ink but in stone. — Natalie Hoberman, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026 How often the crimes of a deviant cast shadows on others for years to come. — Chicago Tribune, 18 July 2026 As totality nears, the light around you changes timbre, shadows sharpen, birds stop chirping and crickets start singing as if night is falling. — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 17 July 2026 But out of the shadows emerges a former soldier known only as Berry, who starts building a secret resistance network. — Alex Ritman, Variety, 15 July 2026 Blume’s unobtrusive handiwork lifts Show Me the Body out of the shadows without sun-bleaching their craggy exterior. — Eli Enis, Pitchfork, 15 July 2026

Verb

While darker colors remained visible, they could be mistaken for dirt, debris, or shadows underwater. — Cody Godwin, USA Today, 1 May 2026 My driver slowed on purpose, timing the arrival for that late-afternoon light when the stucco warms and shadows sharpen. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Apr. 2026 The corridor before him seems never-ending, extending miles, shadows short and dark, shadows light and long. — Literary Hub, 9 Mar. 2026 Through it all, Kate and William balanced expanding royal duties with school runs and family life, even as illness still shadows the monarchy. — Simon Perry, PEOPLE, 19 Dec. 2025 However, Quinyon Mitchell has taken a step up this season and shadows the NFL’s best receiver. — Zach Berman, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025 If Gonzalez shadows Panthers rookie wideout Tetairoa McMillan, Carolina’s leading receiver, their battle could swing critical moments and perhaps the game. — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 28 Sep. 2025 The movie’s ensemble also includes Alicia Vikander, Jeffrey Wright, and Tom Sturridge, but this is said to be Dano’s show, with Law’s Putin a malevolent presence who shadows his every move. — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 25 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shadows

Noun

Each person’s light-dark exposure also differs depending on habits and location, which makes timing the biological clock difficult to measure precisely.

— Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 21 July 2026
Open areas around Wolfe Lake and Chignecto Campground provide good visibility toward the southwest during the eclipse, while the surrounding dark-sky corridor supports decent Perseid observing conditions after dark.

— Jamie Carter, Space.com, 19 July 2026

Definition of dark

Verb

One of the most intense sequences finds Lucas protecting a still-comatose Max while a horde of demodogs chases him through a hospital.

— Sezin Devi Koehler, Entertainment Weekly, 15 July 2026
Seconds later, Bella, an 11-year-old husky, jumps in and chases the bear across the driveway and away from the child.

— Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 8 July 2026

Definition of chases

Verb

Gabriel and Haaland are key men for their countries, too; whoever shades their personal duel will have a great chance of finishing on the winning team.

— Jack Lang, New York Times, 5 July 2026
The thick debris mantle shades the ice, keeping it colder, similar to how ski areas have started covering their slopes with reflective blankets in summer to stave off melting.

— Ashlesha Khatiwada, The Conversation, 1 July 2026

Definition of shades

Noun

Permanent daylight saving time would shift some trips from darkness into daylight and others in the opposite direction.

— Chris Hardesty, AJC.com, 23 July 2026
Swelling from a razor-thin crescent into a cratered world before fading back into the darkness, Mars gave NASA's Psyche spacecraft both a spectacular view — and a 1,000-mph boost toward its namesake asteroid.

— Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 22 July 2026

Definition of darkness

Verb

No federal agency tracks the practice, so researchers have relied on estimates.

— Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 July 2026
Rush is now director of the Red Line for Civil Rights at Democracy Forward, a nonprofit group that tracks the division’s activities.

— Ben Wieder, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2026

Definition of tracks

Verb

This is a shame, and not only because the book’s style obscures its significance as the most high-profile effort by that date to marry what were then the two most important currents of French philosophy.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 July 2026
Studying differences at the state level further obscures the signal by combining rural California with San Francisco Bay Area counties or upstate New York with New York City.

— Marc Lipsitch, STAT, 21 July 2026

Definition of obscures

Verb

Boise police will work with counsel and prosecutors to make sure enforcement is consistent, with the law and also protects people’s rights, spokesperson Haley Williams said.

— Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman, 24 July 2026
The administration’s proposal risks harming both the historic building and the system of reviews that protects structures like it.

— Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 24 July 2026

Definition of protects

Browse Nearby Words

shadowlike

shadows

shadowy

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Style

“Shadows.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shadows. Accessed 26 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of shadows

noun

verb

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