shallow
Americanadjective
-
of little depth; not deep.
shallow water.
-
lacking depth; superficial.
a mind that is not narrow but shallow.
-
taking in a relatively small amount of air in each inhalation.
shallow breathing.
-
Baseball. relatively close to home plate.
The shortstop caught the pop fly in shallow left field.
noun
adverb
verb (used with or without object)
adjective
-
having little depth
-
lacking intellectual or mental depth or subtlety; superficial
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
shallowsimple
-
shallowssimple
-
have shallowedperfect
-
has shallowedperfect
-
am shallowingprogressive
-
are shallowingprogressive
-
is shallowingprogressive
-
have been shallowingperfect progressive
-
has been shallowingperfect progressive
Past
-
shallowedsimple
-
had shallowedperfect
-
was shallowingprogressive
-
were shallowingprogressive
-
had been shallowingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing shallow
Face It: Selfie Vocab
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Words from Shakespearean Insults
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Workshop 2, Part 1
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
"People say it's shallow to want people to like you, but in the first humans it was literally a matter of life or death. If you weren't part of the tribe, you died."
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
Phosphate became trapped in shallow sediments, leaving the open ocean relatively nutrient-poor.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 16, 2026
Salt production began in Ulcinj almost a century ago, when the natural lagoon was transformed into a network of shallow evaporating basins.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
The simple, shallow lesson is this was just bad campaign strategy.
From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026
Captain Nikolai Shumkov brought his submarine to shallow depth for a quick recharge.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
The pace of construction on buildings with five or more units dropped roughly 42% in May from April, while single-family units decreased by a shallower 1.9%.
From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026
As life gradually expanded from deeper waters into shallower marine environments, conditions became much more challenging.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 10, 2026
Without dredging, the delta’s waters are shallower and warmer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
Rescuers used excavators to dig a channel, allowing the whale to swim free - but attempts to guide it to the North Sea proved unsuccessful as it veered towards shallower waters.
From BBC ● Apr. 16, 2026
I guess we are going to take the obelisk off The Dessoug here & move it to another boat that can travel in shallower water.
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
Currently, surveys are limited to very restricted spots, but with the help of these advanced underwater drones, scientists can extend their research from the shallowest regions to depths of 60 meters and beyond.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 15, 2024
The yield curve continued to 'bear steepen' to show its shallowest inversion between two and 10-year yields in more than a year and actually in positive territory between two and 20 years.
From Reuters ● Oct. 19, 2023
Still, I hope Sandro sticks around for many more weeks for the shallowest reason ever.
From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2022
It’s a shame that, despite a few charming moments that show some depth, the film only offers the shallowest of dips into the ocean that is modern queer culture.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 3, 2022
The shallowest waves lap against mere inches of shore.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
A few children splashed in the shallows as the surfers paddled out to sea, fighting the crashing waves.
From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026
Evie first saw the pale axolotl nestled in the rocks after lifting up a discarded mat in the shallows of the River Ogmore.
From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2026
This is the kind of art that would find a suitable home in a crypto king’s Miami mansion, and whose pretense of depth can’t conceal its wallowing in the shallows.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
They frequent the shallows surrounding Friday Harbor Labs, the UW research facility located on San Juan Island.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2025
He drifted into the shallows and, with Silver’s help, pulled himself out.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
Once again, the sea shallowed, and fish shimmied between crags, sea urchins perched on ridges and starfish danced on the side of the island.
From The Guardian ● Jan. 6, 2017
Instead of descending directly into the mantle, the subducting plate shallowed out and moved eastward beneath the continental plate affecting the overlying continent hundreds of miles east of the continental margin and building high mountains.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2017
That shows I've shallowed the path of my driver from the top to impact.
From Golf Digest ● Aug. 7, 2016
“Be a good boy,” my mother said with a shallowed voice before closing the door behind her, leaving us alone.
From Salon ● Mar. 5, 2013
The recent heavy weather has had the effect of altering very much the north channel into Port Curtis, the depth having shallowed from 18 to 11 feet at low water, spring tides.
From Report on the Department of Ports and Harbours for the Year 1890-91 by Australia. Queensland. Department of Ports and Harbours
The researchers cite as one example the Bangkok basin in Thailand, where groundwater levels fell in the late-twentieth century before shallowing out in the early 21at Century.
From Salon ● Jan. 24, 2024
Instead, the fish have been forced to lay their eggs at the base of Shasta Lake in the shallowing Sacramento River.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2022
His short-iron stats are trailing, but that's a result of how well he's shallowing the club into impact.
From Golf Digest ● May 29, 2019
But the shallowing seawater in the Baltic Sea is not the only thing worrying people in the area, says Knutsson.
From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2017
She could feel the dream shallowing, like a sleek ship beaching on a shoal.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
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.
