1
as in vague
not seen or understood clearly
the shadowy area between tough interrogation and torture
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Recent Examples of shadowy
Use a data removal service to protect your parents
The good news is that a data removal service can scrub both people-search sites and the databases of those other, more shadowy data brokers clean of your parents' information.
—
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 28 July 2025
Who's in the cast of NCIS: Tony & Ziva?
Weatherly, de Pablo, and Gie will be joined by a supporting ensemble of tech experts, hackers, intelligence agents, and shadowy figures.
—EW.com, 26 July 2025
In the case of Tether, this payout is in the billions and makes the most money per employee of any enterprise, except for shadowy enterprises such as drug dealing or other illicit activities.
—Vipin Bharathan, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025
The mako prowls its shadowy underworld with an arrogant confidence, propelled by languid sweeps of his large tail.
—Pat Smith, Outdoor Life, 24 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for shadowy
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 28 July 2025
Who's in the cast of NCIS: Tony & Ziva?
Weatherly, de Pablo, and Gie will be joined by a supporting ensemble of tech experts, hackers, intelligence agents, and shadowy figures.
—EW.com, 26 July 2025
In the case of Tether, this payout is in the billions and makes the most money per employee of any enterprise, except for shadowy enterprises such as drug dealing or other illicit activities.
—Vipin Bharathan, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025
The mako prowls its shadowy underworld with an arrogant confidence, propelled by languid sweeps of his large tail.
—Pat Smith, Outdoor Life, 24 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for shadowy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shadowy
Adjective
-
My ideas around him were vague and uninformed, mostly of the stiff host tolerating the younger acts.—
Nina Metz,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Aug. 2025
-
The law is vague and broad and included no room for considering the literary merit of the work, and so the result was a wave of book bans across the state.—
Peter Greene,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
On bright sunny days in summer, look for a shady place where light intensity is reduced.—
Anthony A. Ciuffa,
Outdoor Life,
7 Aug. 2025
-
Once they’ve been admitted, users have access to profiles of men annotated with information such as background checks and dating reviews; men with shady dating histories are rated with red flags.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
There have been studies done that show some randomness to red-zone success — or that year-to-year correlation is pretty faint.—
Sam McDowell
August 6,
Kansas City Star,
6 Aug. 2025
-
Monday's haze, while less dramatic, still obscured visibility and left a faint scent of smoke lingering in the air.—
Hannah Parry
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The near-surface smoke could dissipate by then, while the sky might still be hazy.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
5 Aug. 2025
-
That memory was hazy, half-lost–until a family photo album resurfaced decades later.—
Lee Sharrock,
Forbes.com,
5 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shadowy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shadowy. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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