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 Web
Joshua Rivera, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2024
The shallow pool of providers, coupled with too few court examiners to oversee guardians’ work, has led to neglect, exploitation and abuse.
—Jake Pearson, ProPublica, 8 Nov. 2024
Joe Yogerst, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024
The level of Poland’s longest river, the Vistula, has fallen to a record low, leaving sandbanks exposed in Warsaw and water so shallow a moose was filmed walking across it in a section in the countryside.
—Reuters, CNN, 11 Sep. 2024
Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 27 Oct. 2024
His breathing got more shallows and his face twitched for another four or five minutes before the movements stopped.
—CBS News, 20 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for shallow 
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Adjective
Arrow’s North Star was Lost, pairing the vigilante origin story of shallow rich kid Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) with the ongoing mystery of what happened to him during a five-year struggle to survive on a desolate island.
—Joshua Rivera, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2024
The shallow pool of providers, coupled with too few court examiners to oversee guardians’ work, has led to neglect, exploitation and abuse.
—Jake Pearson, ProPublica, 8 Nov. 2024
Verb
From the small visitor center, a trail leads to shallow ponds where three flamingo species hatch and raise their chicks.
—Joe Yogerst, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024
The level of Poland’s longest river, the Vistula, has fallen to a record low, leaving sandbanks exposed in Warsaw and water so shallow a moose was filmed walking across it in a section in the countryside.
—Reuters, CNN, 11 Sep. 2024
Noun
Age nor the shallows of her breathing will wrinkle the pages of her book of the seasons.
—Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 27 Oct. 2024
His breathing got more shallows and his face twitched for another four or five minutes before the movements stopped.
—CBS News, 20 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for shallow
Articles Related to shallow
Dictionary Entries Near shallow
Cite this Entry
“Shallow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shallow. Accessed 22 Nov. 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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