shal·low
ˈsha-(ˌ)lō 
1
: having little depth
shallow water
2
: having little extension inward or backward
office buildings have taken the form of shallow slabs—
Lewis Mumford
Lewis Mumford3
a
: penetrating only the easily or quickly perceived
shallow generalizations
b
: lacking in depth of knowledge, thought, or feeling
a shallow demagogue
4
: displacing comparatively little air : weak
shallow breathing
shallowness
noun
shallowed; shallowing; shallows
: to make shallow
: to become shallow
: a shallow place or area in a body of water
—usually used in plural but singular or plural in construction
Synonyms
Examples of shallow in a Sentence
Adjective
The shallow end of the pool is only three feet deep.
Her boyfriends were all shallow creeps.
She could only take shallow breaths.
His breathing became very shallow.
Noun
we waded through the shallows looking for tadpoles
Recent Examples on the Webscience.org, 3 July 2024
The quest for authenticity is hardly a shallow pursuit.
—Allie Volpe, Vox, 1 July 2024
Bill Plunkett, Orange County Register, 1 July 2024
Rangers left fielder Wyatt Langford killed the Dodgers softly, flaring a first-inning RBI single to shallow right field that left his bat at 67 mph and traveled 181 feet, and blooping a third-inning RBI single to shallow right that left his bat at 60 mph and traveled 167 feet.
—Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2024
Delaney Dryfoos, Journal Sentinel, 4 July 2024
Fall sees the return of cooler water and often, but not always, a return to the shallows.
—M.d. Johnson, Field & Stream, 20 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for shallow 
Adjective
About 515 million years ago, a volcanic eruption blanketed shallow waters in what are today the High Atlas Mountains in Morocco.
—science.org, 3 July 2024
The quest for authenticity is hardly a shallow pursuit.
—Allie Volpe, Vox, 1 July 2024
Verb
Patrick Bailey flew out to shallow left but Hudson grooved a 1-and-0 fastball to Chapman who sent it 414 feet into the left-center field seats.
—Bill Plunkett, Orange County Register, 1 July 2024
Rangers left fielder Wyatt Langford killed the Dodgers softly, flaring a first-inning RBI single to shallow right field that left his bat at 67 mph and traveled 181 feet, and blooping a third-inning RBI single to shallow right that left his bat at 60 mph and traveled 167 feet.
—Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2024
Noun
The dead zone is a stretch along the shallows of the Gulf of Mexico where algae blooms choke off oxygen in the water.
—Delaney Dryfoos, Journal Sentinel, 4 July 2024
Fall sees the return of cooler water and often, but not always, a return to the shallows.
—M.d. Johnson, Field & Stream, 20 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for shallow
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shallow.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Shallow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shallow. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shallow
1 of 2 adjective
shal·low
ˈshal-ō
1
: having little depth
shallow water
2
: showing little knowledge, thought, or feeling
shallowly
adverb
shallowness
noun
shallow
2 of 2 noun
: a shallow place or area in a body of water
—usually used in plural
Medical Definition
shallow
adjective
shal·low
ˈshal-(ˌ)ō, -ə(-w)
: displacing comparatively little air
shallow breathing
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