1
as in shoal
lacking significant physical depth
the dog quickly dug a shallow hole that was barely deep enough to accommodate his bone
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in superficial
having or showing a lack of depth of understanding or character
he was a shallow person who rarely cared about anything but his earthly possessions and keeping up appearances
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shallow
Hazlitt, 4 Feb. 2026
Historically, Lake Erie freezes and thaws the quickest due to its shallow depth, the shallowest among the Great Lakes.
—Jalen Williams, Freep.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Kylie Williams, Miami Herald, 29 Nov. 2025
Essentially desert country, its porous, sandy soil is inhospitable to all but a few types of shallow-root crops.
—Sean Patrick Cooper, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shallow
Adjective
Young kids paddled near the shallow edges and bigger kids jumped off the cliffs above the swimming hole, causing the adults to gasp and scold.
—Hazlitt, 4 Feb. 2026
Historically, Lake Erie freezes and thaws the quickest due to its shallow depth, the shallowest among the Great Lakes.
—Jalen Williams, Freep.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Noun
Even if a major oil spill happened 100 miles from Florida’s coast, the loop current could bring it to the state’s shallows, said Tracey Sutton, the deepwater researcher.
—Kylie Williams, Miami Herald, 29 Nov. 2025
Essentially desert country, its porous, sandy soil is inhospitable to all but a few types of shallow-root crops.
—Sean Patrick Cooper, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shallow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shallow
Adjective
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Unlike body composition metrics, BMI obscures the true extent of metabolic dysfunction and cannot distinguish between muscle and fat — or between superficial fat and the visceral fat that drives diabetes, heart disease and other chronic conditions.—
Bret Scher,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
-
After he was taken into custody, he was found to be bleeding from his hand and had several superficial cuts on his stomach.—
Patrick Damp,
CBS News,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Waters off the point are treacherous, including colliding currents, shoals and sandbars.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
22 Jan. 2026
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The park service first documented zebra mussels during a training dive at the SS Sevona shipwreck off the Sand Island shoal in 2015.—
Caitlin Looby,
jsonline.com,
20 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Four small planes were diverted by the Air Force after breaching restricted airspace around the stadium, but the aircraft were never considered threats.—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Simons is an unrestricted free agent after the season, and Ivey is a restricted one.—
Jon Greenberg,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Another Jefferson County circuit judge, Jessica Green, last year drew local and national criticism after granting shock probation to a 32-year-old man accused of abducting a mother and two children and stabbing the mother during a bank robbery.—
Monroe Trombly,
Louisville Courier Journal,
10 Feb. 2026
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Even with large battery banks, diesel-electric submarines eventually need to recharge.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The fragrance opens with a playful burst of juicy raspberry before folding into warm vanilla blossom, eventually settling into a smooth veil of cashmere musk that feels cozy without ever becoming heavy.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
9 Feb. 2026
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Try making vichyssoise, a simple, smooth soup combining leeks and potatoes.—
Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner,
Martha Stewart,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The company’s focus on efficient and autonomous ship manufacturing and mature supply chain enables high volume, low cost delivery of commercial and defense maritime vehicles, in surface and sub-surface environments (currently 95% of commercial ship-building occurs in Asia).—
Sabbir Rangwala,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Mura’s research team suggests that the sub-surface and mantle of Io may be like a sponge, in the sense that it is filled with pores filled with magma.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Those colleagues were jailed too, receiving sentences ranging from 6 years, 9 months to 10 years behind bars.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
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Given his age, the prison term still could keep him behind bars for the rest of his life.—
Kanis Leung,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shallow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shallow. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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