Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

shallow

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of shallow

usually shallows plural a place where a body of water (as a sea or river) is shallow
  • we waded through the shallows looking for tadpoles
Synonyms of shallow

ford, shoal
Words Related to shallow

bank, bar, sandbank, sandbar, towhead
Near Antonyms of shallow

trench

abyss, deep, depth, gulf

shallow

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of shallow

1 lacking significant physical depth
  • the dog quickly dug a shallow hole that was barely deep enough to accommodate his bone
Synonyms of shallow

depthless, shoal
Words Related to shallow

skin-deep, superficial, surface

fathomable, measurable

finite, limited, measured, restricted

even, flat, flush, horizontal, level, plane, smooth

two-dimensional
Near Antonyms of shallow

abysmal, abyssal, bottomless, boundless, endless, immeasurable, inestimable, infinite, limitless, measureless, profound, unfathomable, unlimited, vast

navigable
Antonyms of shallow

deep
2 having or showing a lack of depth of understanding or character
  • he was a shallow person who rarely cared about anything but his earthly possessions and keeping up appearances
Synonyms of shallow

facile, one-dimensional, skin-deep, superficial
Words Related to shallow

cursory, hasty, oversimple, passing, sketchy

aimless, desultory, haphazard, hit-or-miss, random

limited, narrow, restricted
Near Antonyms of shallow

discerning, penetrant, penetrating

definitive, hard

broad, complete, comprehensive, exhaustive, extensive, far-reaching, wide

general, global, inclusive

detailed, in-depth

critical
Antonyms of shallow

deep, profound

Synonym Discussion of 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

Learn More about shallow

  1. See words that rhyme with shallow Dictionary: Definition of shallow Medical Dictionary: Definition of shallow Spanish Central: Translation of shallow Nglish: Translation of shallow for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of shallow for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up shallow? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show comments hide comments

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

WORD OF THE DAY

disavow

to deny responsibility for

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. feckless Former RNC chair derides Trump

  2. emergency, national emergency Trump declares crisis over wall

  3. apoplectic Bezos writes post about Pecker

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games