Synonyms of shoal

shoal 1 of 2

adjective

ˈshōl 

as in shallow

lacking significant physical depth

shoal waters of the bay meant that our ship had to be moored a considerable distance from shore

Synonyms & Similar Words

• shallow
• surface
• depthless
• superficial
• restricted
• smooth
• horizontal
• limited
• finite
• measurable
• plane
• level
• skin-deep
• flat
• flush
• measured
• fathomable
• two-dimensional
• even

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• deep
• vast
• infinite
• profound
• endless
• unlimited
• boundless
• navigable
• limitless
• bottomless
• unfathomable
• abyssal
• inestimable
• immeasurable
• measureless
• abysmal

shoal

2 of 2

noun

as in bank

a place where a body of water (as a sea or river) is shallow

the shoals off Nantucket Island are famous as the final resting places of many ill-fated ships

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bank
• ford
• sandbar
• sandbank
• bar
• shallow(s)
• towhead

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• trench
• depth
• gulf
• abyss
• deep

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of shoal

Noun

Recent imagery also shows personnel standing atop the structure, while monitoring by the Philippine Coast Guard indicated the platform was operating inside the shoal. — James Laporta, CBS News, 11 June 2026

Rose Island Lighthouse stands on a rocky heap of land in Narragansett Bay, guiding ships away from the shallow shoals of Newport Harbor. — Madeline Bilis, Travel + Leisure, 3 May 2026

Manila has accused China of using force to block access by fishermen and the coast guard to the shoal, which used to be under Philippine control until 2012. — ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026

As a result, the wide, shallow bay, with its lacework of shoals and basins, grows hot and hypersaline, killing seagrass, fueling algae blooms and hurting the economy of the Keys. — Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2026