adjective
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full of shadows; dark; shady
-
resembling a shadow in faintness; vague
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illusory or imaginary
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mysterious or secretive
a shadowy underworld figure
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of shadowy
First recorded in 1325–75, shadowy is from the Middle English word shadewy. See shadow, -y 1
Explanation
The adjective shadowy is good for describing things that are mysterious or hard to see, like a dim figure in the fog or the social rules of a typical middle school. Indistinct or faint objects are shadowy, whether they're distant people standing in a dark alley or birds you can barely see against the choppy surface of the ocean. You can also describe something that's ghostly or unreal as shadowy. A shadowy room or a shadowy figure brushing past you would both be insubstantial and vaguely spooky. The root of shadowy is the Old English word sceadu, "shade, shadow, or darkness."
Vocabulary lists containing shadowy
"Ode to the Table" by Pablo Neruda
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The One and Only Ivan
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The Wild Robot
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Appeared in the April 25, 2026, print edition as 'A Shadowy Leaker at the Supreme Court'.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
The track, The Shadowy Light, paired her unmistakable voice with a cross-cultural ensemble, its imagery of a boatman guiding a soul across unknown waters reflecting on death and the afterlife.
From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026
Shadowy organizations lurk in the shadows of other shadowier organizations.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 21, 2025
Shadowy rebel groups have called for independence for the border provinces, which were part of a sultanate called Patani, annexed by Thailand in 1909 as part of treaty with Britain.
From Reuters • Jan. 13, 2022
Shadowy shapes streaked past, and—oh, man—something slimy brushed my ankle.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
