Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Shallow
Shal′low
,Adj.
[
Com
par.
Shallower
; sup
erl.
Shallowest
.] 1.
Not deep; having little depth; shoal.
“Shallow brooks, and rivers wide.” Milton.
2.
Not deep in tone.
[R.]
The sound perfecter and not so
shallow
and jarring. Bacon.
3.
Not intellectually deep; not profound; not penetrating deeply; simple; not wise or knowing; ignorant; superficial;
as, a
. shallow
mind; shallow
learningThe king was neither so
shallow
, nor so ill advertised, as not to perceive the intention of the French king. Bacon.
Deep versed in books, and
shallow
in himself. Milton.
Shal′low
,Noun.
1.
A place in a body of water where the water is not deep; a shoal; a flat; a shelf.
A swift stream is not heard in the channel, but upon
shallows
of gravel. Bacon.
Dashed on the
shallows
of the moving sand. Dryden.
2.
(Zool.)
The rudd.
[Prov. Eng.]
Shal′low
,Verb.
T.
To make shallow.
Sir T. Browne.
Shal′low
,Verb.
I.
To become shallow, as water.
Webster 1828 Edition
Shallow
SHAL'LOW
,Adj.
1. Not deep; having little depth; shoal; as shallow water; a shallow stream; a shallow brook.
2. Not deep; not entering far into the earth; as a shallow furrow; a shallow trench.
3. Not intellectually deep; not profound; not penetrating deeply into abstruse subjects; superficial; as a shallow mind or understanding; shallow skill.
Deep vers'd in books, and shallow in himself. Milton.
SHAL'LOW
,Noun.
A swift stream is not heard in the channel, but upon shallows of gravel.
Definition 2024
shallow
shallow
English
Adjective
shallow (comparative shallower, superlative shallowest)
- Having little depth; significantly less deep than wide.
- This crater is relatively shallow.
- Saute the onions in a shallow pan.
- Extending not far downward.
- The water is shallow here.
- Concerned mainly with superficial matters.
- It was a glamorous but shallow lifestyle.
- Lacking interest or substance.
- The acting is good, but the characters are shallow.
- Not intellectually deep; not penetrating deeply; simple; not wise or knowing.
- shallow learning
- Francis Bacon
- The king was neither so shallow, nor so ill advertised, as not to perceive the intention of the French king.
- (obsolete) Not deep in tone.
- Francis Bacon
- the sound perfecter and not so shallow and jarring
- Francis Bacon
- (tennis) Not far forward, close to the net
- 2012 June 28, Jamie Jackson, “Wimbledon 2012: Lukas Rosol shocked by miracle win over Rafael Nadal”, in the Guardian:
- Rosol spurned the chance to finish off a shallow second serve by spooning into the net, and a wild forehand took the set to 5-4, with the native of Prerov required to hold his serve for victory.
-
Antonyms
Translations
having little depth and significantly less deep than wide
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extending not far downward
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concerned mainly with superficial matters
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lacking interest or substance
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Noun
shallow (plural shallows)
- A shallow portion of an otherwise deep body of water.
- The ship ran aground in an unexpected shallow.
- Francis Bacon
- A swift stream is not heard in the channel, but upon shallows of gravel.
- Dryden
- dashed on the shallows of the moving sand
- A fish, the rudd.
Usage notes
- Usually used in the plural form.
Translations
shallow portion of an otherwise deep body of water
See also
Verb
shallow (third-person singular simple present shallows, present participle shallowing, simple past and past participle shallowed)
- To make or become less deep
- 2009 February 6, Andrew Z. Krug et al., “Signature of the End-Cretaceous Mass Extinction in the Modern Biota”, in Science, volume 323, number 5915, DOI:, pages 767-771:
- The shallowing of Cenozoic age-frequency curves from tropics to poles thus appears to reflect the decreasing probability for genera to reach and remain established in progressively higher latitudes ( 9 ).
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