shallow

American  

[shal-oh] / ˈʃæl oʊ /

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.

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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 British  

/ ˈʃæləʊ /

adjective

1. having little depth

2. lacking intellectual or mental depth or subtlety; superficial

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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

Etymology

Origin of shallow

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

Explanation

The adjective shallow can describe things that aren't very deep, like a shallow puddle, or people who don't have much emotional or intellectual depth, like shallow people who judge others on their looks and how much money they have. Shallow likely comes from the Old English word sceald, which means "shoal," the water near a shoreline. So, shallow describes something that is close to the surface — like the shallow roots of a newly-planted tree or a person whose interest in someone or something isn't very deep. For instance, a shallow person might go to the opening of a new art exhibition not so much to see the artworks as meet the wealthy people on the museum's board of trustees.

Example Sentences

To build brand recognition, the founders for years stuck with a single color scheme—“deep ocean and shallow water.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 23, 2026

Ancient rivers crossed a greener environment, feeding shallow lakes that grew and shrank over time.

From Science Daily • May 16, 2026

The salt is produced by pumping saline water from bore-wells into shallow pans, where the liquid evaporates under the sun and wind.

From Barron's • May 10, 2026

Putting out shallow dishes of water, log piles, plant pollinator friendly plants were some of the steps we at home can make to facilitate hedgehogs.

From BBC • May 9, 2026

She felt clammy, and her breathing was shallow.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

Related Words

• empty
• foolish
• frothy
• hollow
• trivial