shallow

[shal-oh]

adjective

shallower, shallowest 

1. of little depth; not deep.

   shallow water.

2. lacking depth; superficial.

   a mind that is not narrow but shallow.

3. taking in a relatively small amount of air in each inhalation.

   shallow breathing.

4. Baseball.,  relatively close to home plate.

   The shortstop caught the pop fly in shallow left field.

noun

1. (used with a singular or plural verb),  Usually shallows. a shallow part of a body of water; shoal.

adverb

1. Baseball.,  at a shallow position.

   With the pitcher up, the outfielders played shallow.

verb (used with or without object)

1. to make or become shallow.

shallow

/ ˈʃæləʊ /

adjective

1. having little depth

2. lacking intellectual or mental depth or subtlety; superficial

noun

1. (often plural) a shallow place in a body of water; shoal

verb

1. to make or become shallow

Other Word Forms

• shallowly adverb
• shallowness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of shallow¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English schalowe (adjective); akin to Old English sceald “shallow” ( shoal ¹ )

Word History and Origins

Origin of shallow¹

C15: related to Old English sceald shallow; see _shoal ¹

Example Sentences

The Red Sea was initially connected from the north to the Mediterranean through a shallow sill.

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Mothers, toddlers and lovers waded through the shallows like shore birds.

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"Unless Japan can defend itself, its fate will always be at the mercy of shallow US opinion," she concluded.

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“Bone Lake” offers up an appealing surface but it’s ultimately too shallow to get you immersed.

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Sharks were creatures of the deep ocean, he reasoned, and he surfed in the shallower bays.

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Related Words

• empty 
• foolish 
• frothy 
• hollow 
• trivial