shallow

[ shal-oh ]
See synonyms for: shallowshallowershallowsshallowness on Thesaurus.com

adjective,shal·low·er, shal·low·est.
  1. of little depth; not deep: shallow water.

  2. lacking depth; superficial: a mind that is not narrow but shallow.

  1. taking in a relatively small amount of air in each inhalation: shallow breathing.

  2. Baseball. relatively close to home plate: The shortstop caught the pop fly in shallow left field.

noun
  1. Usually shallows. (used with a singular or plural verb) 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.

Origin of shallow

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English schalowe (adjective); akin to Old English sceald “shallow” (see shoal1)

Other words from shallow

  • shal·low·ly, adverb
  • shal·low·ness, noun

Words Nearby shallow

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use shallow in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for shallow

shallow

/ (ˈʃæləʊ) /


adjective
  1. having little depth

  2. lacking intellectual or mental depth or subtlety; superficial

noun
  1. (often plural) a shallow place in a body of water; shoal

verb
  1. to make or become shallow

Origin of shallow

1
C15: related to Old English sceald shallow; see shoal 1

Derived forms of shallow

  • shallowly, adverb
  • shallowness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012