shadowy

adjective

ˈsha-dō-ē How to pronounce shadowy (audio)
Definition of shadowynext
1
as in vague
not seen or understood clearly the shadowy area between tough interrogation and torture

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in shady
protected from the sun's rays a shadowy lane that is a mosaic of colors during the autumn foliage season

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 shadowy These are a great option for a shade garden or any shadowy parts of your yard. — Abby Monteil, The Spruce, 5 Sep. 2026 Researchers at the wild cat center weren't able to document him on camera again until the summer of 2025, when a camera trap turned up a shadowy picture of the jaguar, his eyes glinting in the camera’s light. — Sarah Henry, AZCentral.com, 5 Sep. 2026 Before it was taken down, the shadowy dark web service called Nexus allowed virtually anybody to peruse identity documents of over 170 million people in the US and Canada. — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 3 Sep. 2026 Every shadowy corner of a piazza seems to hide a garotte-wielding assassin. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for shadowy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shadowy
  1. vague
  2. shady
  3. faint
  4. shaded
  5. hazy
Adjective
  • Occasionally, there is a vague resignation, but direct accountability is rare.
    — Brian O'Neill, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Find the point where judgment disappeared, ownership became vague or an old instruction remained available after its context changed.
    — Mani Padisetti, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of vague
Adjective
  • The series contemplates topics like shady lending practices by financial institutions — something that will resonate deeply with today’s economy — and the ethics of placing oneself in a news story.
    — Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Meanwhile, Melanie’s sister, Steph, begged Melanie to leave Sincere because of his compulsive lying and shady behavior.
    — Allison DeGrushe, StyleCaster, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of shady
Adjective
  • Meanwhile, her cheeks and lips were accented with a faint swipe of peach blush and rose gloss, and her lashes were coated in black mascara, giving the overall look a refined appeal.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Even as their faint rally began to flourish in the eighth inning, there was no credible reason to believe the ending would be any different this time.
    — Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of faint
Adjective
  • By early afternoon, the scene shifts across the shaded wooden deck, as guests slip in from the jetty barefoot and still damp from the sea, for long, languid lunches that roll into dusk.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Other approaches are scorched stretches of concrete begging to become soft, shaded connectors.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of shaded
Adjective
  • DPs Fabian Gamper and Tudor Vladimir Panduru’s grainy lensing poetically captures these intimate faultlines and era-specific textures, staying close to Rita’s face and increasingly hazy eyes.
    — Tomris Laffly, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Its poster is a still life every Jeddah resident knows, a rooftop of water tanks and air conditioners against a hazy sky.
    — Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of hazy

Browse Nearby Words

shadows
shadowy
shady
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shadowy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shadowy. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of empirical

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All