shallow.
Having little depth; significantly less deep than wide.
Meaning & usage
Having little depth; significantly less deep than wide.
This crater is relatively shallow.
Sauté 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; flat; one-dimensional.
The acting is good, but the characters are shallow.
Not intellectually deep; not penetrating deeply; simple; not wise or knowing.
shallow learning
Not deep in tone.
Not far forward, close to the net.
Not steep; close to horizontal.
a shallow climb
a shallow descent
Where this word comes from
From Middle English schalowe (“not deep, shallow”); apparently related to Middle English schalde, schold, scheld, schealde (“shallow”), from Old English sċeald (“shallow”), from Proto-Germanic *skal-, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelh₁- (“to parch, dry out”). Related to Low German Scholl (“shallow water”). See also shoal.
A shallow portion of an otherwise deep body of water.
The ship ran aground in an unexpected shallow.
A fish, the rudd.
A costermonger's barrow.
A shallow hotel pan.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English schalowe (“not deep, shallow”); apparently related to Middle English schalde, schold, scheld, schealde (“shallow”), from Old English sċeald (“shallow”), from Proto-Germanic *skal-, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelh₁- (“to parch, dry out”). Related to Low German Scholl (“shallow water”). See also shoal.
To make or become less deep.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English schalowe (“not deep, shallow”); apparently related to Middle English schalde, schold, scheld, schealde (“shallow”), from Old English sċeald (“shallow”), from Proto-Germanic *skal-, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelh₁- (“to parch, dry out”). Related to Low German Scholl (“shallow water”). See also shoal.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.