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
Amanda Kooser, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025
There are series with lazy writing, shallow characters, boring plots and even offensive elements.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 8 Jan. 2025
Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 2 May 2024
With two Baltimore Orioles on in the ninth, Henderson lifted a ball to shallow left field.
—Tim Britton, The Athletic, 20 Aug. 2024
Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Nov. 2024
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the National Geographic team discovered a lot of dead coral in the shallows of the Solomon Islands, likely due to excessive heat in the ocean, said Molly Timmers, a marine ecologist and the expedition’s lead scientist.
—Benji Jones, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
See all Example Sentences for shallow 
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Adjective
The Metro Richmond Zoo shared a video of Poppy taking a splash in a shallow pool with her mom.
—Amanda Kooser, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025
There are series with lazy writing, shallow characters, boring plots and even offensive elements.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
In the top of the 10th with Morel, the ghost runner, on third, Michael Busch popped one up to shallow right-center field.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 2 May 2024
With two Baltimore Orioles on in the ninth, Henderson lifted a ball to shallow left field.
—Tim Britton, The Athletic, 20 Aug. 2024
Noun
To ensure Blackbeard was neutralized, Spotswood gave Robert Maynard, an officer in the Royal Navy, control of 60 men and two sloops—small sailboats that lacked cannons but could pursue Blackbeard in the narrow inlets and shallows of the coast.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Nov. 2024
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the National Geographic team discovered a lot of dead coral in the shallows of the Solomon Islands, likely due to excessive heat in the ocean, said Molly Timmers, a marine ecologist and the expedition’s lead scientist.
—Benji Jones, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
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 18 Jan. 2025.
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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