shallow

[ shal-oh ]

/ ˈʃæl oʊ /

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See synonyms for: shallow / shallower / shallows / shallowness on Thesaurus.com

adjective, shal·low·er, shal·low·est.

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

Usually shallows. (used with a singular or plural verb) a shallow part of a body of water; shoal.

adverb

Baseball. at a shallow position: With the pitcher up, the outfielders played shallow.

verb (used with or without object)

to make or become shallow.

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Origin of shallow

1350–1400; Middle English schalowe (adj.); akin to Old English sceald shallow (see shoal¹)

OTHER WORDS FROM shallow

shal·low·ly, adverbshal·low·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use shallow in a sentence

This is usually the preferred method for fishing shallow waters or targeting pelagic species, which are particularly sensitive to noise.
Take a stab at spearfishing with these tips|Same Romano/Outdoor Life|November 16, 2020|Popular-Science
Martinez explained on multiple occasions that his first step was slower in the outfield, leading to a handful of balls to drop in shallow center.
A bulked-up Victor Robles had a down year. He’ll look to fine-tune his game in winter ball.|Jesse Dougherty|November 12, 2020|Washington Post
Spoon the combined ingredients into a shallow casserole dish sprayed with cooking oil.
Ease into Winter with Backcountry-Approved Comfort Food|Christina Bernstein|November 12, 2020|Outside Online
All of that said, I think the slightly shallower depth of field is a win for the new larger sensor and I do think there’s a noticeable upgrade from the 12 Pro to the 12 Pro Max, let alone over the previous generations.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max might be worth it—for the camera alone|Stan Horaczek|November 10, 2020|Popular-Science

In these pages, though, that’s a surprisingly shallow trench.
Jonathan Lethem’s ‘The Arrest’ imagines a kinder, gentler apocalypse|Ron Charles|November 10, 2020|Washington Post
Would such shallowness be tolerated in a film about the Battle of Agincourt, immortalized by Shakespeare in Henry V?
‘300’ Is a Misleading, Muscle-Bound Travesty of Ancient History|James Romm|March 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But what the debate really showed is the utter shallowness of today's GOP.
GOP Goes Isolationist|Michael Tomasky|June 15, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The shallowness of the Obama white paper, issued last June, is now only too obvious.
The Looming Banking Battle|Jeff Madrick|November 12, 2009|DAILY BEAST
The shallowness and simplicity of the girl baffled her continually.
That Lass O' Lowrie's|Frances Hodgson Burnett
It certainly leads to shallowness, "Without haste, without rest" was Goethe's motto.
Girls and Women|Harriet E. Paine (AKA E. Chester}
Their broadsides bore upon the enemy, and the shallowness of the water was such that by no means could they be surrounded.
The Naval History of the United States|Willis J. Abbot.
And there was only one way to deal with such shallowness––that was with firm and unmistakable severity.
Once to Every Man|Larry Evans
Religion suffers from a narrowness and shallowness which broader and deeper culture must remove.
A New Atmosphere|Gail Hamilton

British Dictionary definitions for shallow

shallow

/ (ˈʃæləʊ) /

adjective

having little depth

lacking intellectual or mental depth or subtlety; superficial

noun

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

verb

to make or become shallow

Derived forms of shallow

shallowly, adverbshallowness, noun

Word Origin for shallow

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

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

shallow

Origin of shallow

OTHER WORDS FROM shallow

Words related to shallow

How to use shallow in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for shallow

Derived forms of shallow

Word Origin for shallow