shallow

shallow — adjective

1. not reaching far down; having the bottom situated close to the opening or surfac

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

not reaching far down; having the bottom situated close to the opening or surface — used of water, containers, holes, and similar things.

Example

The children splashed happily in the shallow end of the pool.

collocation: shallow end of [pool/lake]

Arjun dug a shallow hole just deep enough to plant the small rose bush.

Common collocations
  • shallow end
  • shallow water
  • shallow grave
  • shallow dish
  • shallow cut
  • shallow hole
  • shallow pool
Synonyms
  • slight

    suggests a very small degree or amount; used for cuts, slopes, or differences rather than bodies of water

  • flat

    describes a surface with no depth at all, not just little depth

Antonyms
  • deep

    the direct opposite in all physical depth contexts

2. containing only a small number of people or things, so that a lot of space remai

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

containing only a small number of people or things, so that a lot of space remains between them.

Example

The theatre had only a shallow audience on the rainy Tuesday night.

Attendance at the lecture was shallow, with barely twenty students in the hall.

Common collocations
  • shallow crowd
  • shallow audience
  • shallow attendance
Synonyms
  • sparse

    more common in modern English for describing thin crowds or distribution

  • thin

    less formal; used for crowds, traffic, or audiences

Antonyms
  • dense

    describes a crowd packed closely together

  • packed

    informal opposite for a full audience or crowd

Usage Note

This sense is less common in modern English and is mainly used to describe crowds, audiences, or attendance. It often carries a slightly negative tone, suggesting that attendance is disappointingly low.

3. lacking depth, detail, or strong evidence; not likely to convince someone becaus

3.adjectiveB2
Definition

lacking depth, detail, or strong evidence; not likely to convince someone because it ignores the real complexity of a topic.

Example

The lawyer dismissed the witness's account as shallow and full of gaps.

Élise found the article's analysis of the economic crisis far too shallow to be useful.

collocation: shallow analysis

Common collocations
  • shallow analysis
  • shallow argument
  • shallow explanation
  • shallow understanding
  • shallow research
Synonyms
  • superficial

    stronger negative tone; suggests something deliberately ignores important details

  • cursory

    describes something done quickly and without attention to detail

  • simplistic

    suggests the analysis is oversimplified to the point of being wrong

Antonyms
  • thorough

    covers all important aspects with care

  • penetrating

    goes deep into the subject to reveal hidden truths

Usage Note

Often used to criticise arguments, explanations, research, or reports. Distinguish from sense 6 (NOT THOUGHTFUL): sense 3 targets the quality of reasoning or evidence in a piece of work, while sense 6 targets a person's character or interests.

Common Mistakes

The water is shallow for swimming' (when meaning 'not deep').
The water is shallow for swimming
this is correct for sense 1. For sense 3, shallow describes reasoning, not water.

4. describing breathing where each breath brings very little air into the lungs, of

4.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing breathing where each breath brings very little air into the lungs, often happening during illness, fear, or stress.

Example

The doctor noticed the patient's shallow breathing and immediately checked her oxygen levels.

medical context: shallow breathing as a symptom

Noor took slow deep breaths to calm herself, pushing away the shallow gasps of panic.

Common collocations
  • shallow breathing
  • shallow breath
  • shallow breaths
  • rapid and shallow
  • short and shallow
Synonyms
  • weak

    describes breathing that lacks strength; less precise than 'shallow'

  • rapid

    focuses on speed rather than depth; often occurs alongside shallow breathing

Antonyms
  • deep

    the standard opposite for breathing depth

Grammar Patterns

shallow + noun (breathing, breath)

Usage Note

Frequently used in medical and health contexts. The opposite is 'deep breathing'. Shallow breathing is also called 'chest breathing' because it uses the chest muscles rather than the diaphragm.

Common Mistakes

His breathing was shallowly' (using adverb instead of adjective).
His breathing was shallow.
breathing is a noun described by the adjective 'shallow'.

5. rising or falling at a gentle angle rather than a steep one; not steep.

5.adjectiveB2
Definition

rising or falling at a gentle angle rather than a steep one; not steep.

Example

The hiking trail followed a shallow slope up the hillside, making the climb easy for beginners.

Amihan chose the path with the shallowest incline to avoid straining her injured knee.

superlative: shallowest incline/slope

Common collocations
  • shallow slope
  • shallow angle
  • shallow incline
  • shallow gradient
  • shallow ramp
  • shallow roof
Synonyms
  • gentle

    more common in everyday speech for describing slopes and hills

  • gradual

    emphasises the slow change in height over distance

Antonyms
  • steep

    the direct opposite for slopes, angles, and gradients

Usage Note

Used for physical slopes, inclines, angles, and gradients. In architecture it also describes roof pitches or stair angles. Distinguish from sense 1 (SHORT DEPTH): sense 5 describes angle or gradient, not vertical depth from a surface.

6. not interested in serious ideas, deep emotions, or meaningful relationships; con

6.adjectiveB2
Definition

not interested in serious ideas, deep emotions, or meaningful relationships; concerned only with surface-level appearances or trivial matters.

Example

Dahlia broke up with him because she found him shallow — he only talked about money and cars.

used for describing a person's character

The magazine's shallow coverage of world events never included any real analysis or background.

Common collocations
  • shallow person
  • shallow conversation
  • shallow interests
  • shallow values
  • shallow society
  • shallow relationship
  • shallow view
Synonyms
  • superficial

    often interchangeable, but 'superficial' can also describe physical surfaces; 'shallow' is more directly negative about character

  • vapid

    stronger, more formal; suggests dull emptiness rather than just lack of depth

  • empty-headed

    informal; suggests lack of intelligence rather than lack of seriousness

Antonyms
  • profound

    describes deep, serious thinking and feeling

  • deep

    the general opposite across multiple senses of 'shallow'

  • thoughtful

    describes a person who cares about others and thinks seriously about things

Usage Note

This is the most common figurative sense of 'shallow'. It can describe people, conversations, interests, books, films, and media. Frequently appears in social criticism.

Common Mistakes

❌ 'He is a shallow person' (vague complaint without context). The phrase is natural, but you should be ready to explain what the person does that is shallow — e.g., 'He only cares about designer clothes and celebrity gossip.'

shallow — noun

shallow — verb

Word family

  • shallows
    noun (plural)B1
  • shallowly
    adverbB2
  • shallowness
    nounB2
  • shallow-minded
    adjectiveC1
  • shallow-rooted
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/6

These four words all describe a lack of depth, but they apply to different targets. Shallow (B2) targets a person's character or interests — someone who only cares about surface appearances or trivial matters ('a shallow person who judges others by their clothes'). Superficial (B2–C1) overlaps with shallow for people, but also applies to work, knowledge, or treatment that barely scratches the surface ('a superficial reading of the novel'). Cursory (C1) is narrower — it describes an action done too quickly and without attention to detail ('a cursory glance at the report'), never a person's character. Simplistic (B2–C1) criticises an explanation or solution as oversimplified to the point of being wrong or misleading ('a simplistic answer to a complex problem'). Choose shallow for character criticism, superficial for work or treatment, cursory for hasty actions, and simplistic for flawed oversimplifications.

shallow ↗superficial ↗cursorysimplistic

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • extremely shallow
  • quite shallow
  • relatively shallow
  • deceptively shallow
  • emotionally shallow
  • intellectually shallow

Phrases

  • in the shallows
  • shallow end of the pool
  • shallow grave
  • shallow breathing
  • shallow person

Prepositions

  • shallow in [depth/character]
  • shallow of [content/thought]

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'shallow' comes from Old English 'sceald' (shoal, shallow water), related to Middle Dutch 'schal' and Old High German 'scal' (dry, shallow). The original sense referred to water that was not deep — a meaning that still survives. The figurative senses (lacking depth of thought or character) developed in the late 1500s and early 1600s, first recorded in Shakespeare's works. The verb forms emerged later, in the 1700s, extending the physical meaning into active uses ('to make or become shallow').