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” ( shoal ¹ )

Example Sentences

“A determined adversary,” said David Brewster, who researches Indo-Pacific maritime security at Australian National University, “can still cut the cable relatively easily in shallow waters.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

They were all shallow, guy-at-the-end-of-the-bar observations that generally reflected very little knowledge of the complexity of the issues and the potential ramifications.

From Salon • Apr. 7, 2026

The basin gathers into shallow wetlands where movement returns to the landscape.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

"A big portion of popular country music has become kind of shallow, so that is pretty easy to duplicate."

From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026

She just needed to get him moving toward the shallow end, away from the fire.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

Related Words

• empty
• foolish
• frothy
• hollow
• trivial