shadowy

American  

[shad-oh-ee] / ˈʃæd oʊ i /

adjective

shadowier, shadowiest

1. resembling a shadow in faintness, slightness, etc..

   shadowy outlines.

2. unsubstantial, unreal, or illusory.

   shadowy preoccupations.

3. abounding in shadow; shady.

   a shadowy path.

4. enveloped in shadow.

5. casting a shadow.

---

shadowy British  

/ ˈʃædəʊɪ /

adjective

1. full of shadows; dark; shady

2. resembling a shadow in faintness; vague

3. illusory or imaginary

4. mysterious or secretive

   a shadowy underworld figure

---

Other Word Forms

• shadowiness noun

Etymology

Origin of shadowy

First recorded in 1325–75, shadowy is from the Middle English word shadewy. See shadow, -y ¹

Example Sentences

Some of Gustav and Julia’s children become communist activists, leading shadowy lives on the run from the czarist police, while others are pillars of society, becoming lawyers or marrying doctors.

From The Wall Street Journal

Three years later, Hale is working for the Orphanage, a shadowy American intelligence agency that spies on all the less-shadowy American intelligence agencies — watching the watchers.

From Los Angeles Times

It could also cause disruptions and shortages for other countries that use the shadowy network of tankers to buy and sell oil, including Cuba, Iran, Russia and China.

From The Wall Street Journal

This is a self-aware martyr, assertive and vulnerable, manipulated by shadowy patriarchal forces.

From The Wall Street Journal

But her point will not be lost on the men and women who have chosen to work in the shadowy world of espionage.

From BBC

Related Words

• dark
• ghostly
• shady