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

The skeletons are buried in shallow graves cut into the limestone bedrock.

From BBC

A new study published in Scientific Reports describes the discovery of an unusually large hydrothermal vent field on the shallow seafloor surrounding the Greek island of Milos.

From Science Daily

New research published in Marine Ecology Progress Series points to the importance of mid-sized predators, including the bigscale pomfret, in connecting deep and shallow ocean ecosystems.

From Science Daily

Companies pivoted to shallow reservoirs, which now absorb roughly three-quarters of the billions of barrels of water that they inject in the Permian every year.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Water from upstream communities can move quickly through channels with little warning. What may look shallow or calm can suddenly become fast-moving and dangerous," the agency warned in a post on X.

From Barron's

Related Words

• empty
• foolish
• frothy
• hollow
• trivial