shallow
shallow — adjective
1. not reaching far down; having the bottom situated close to the opening or surfac
not reaching far down; having the bottom situated close to the opening or surface — used of water, containers, holes, and similar things.
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.
Because the river was so shallow, we could see every pebble on the bottom.
A shallow cut on her hand healed quickly and left no scar.
2. containing only a small number of people or things, so that a lot of space remai
containing only a small number of people or things, so that a lot of space remains between them.
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.
Feng noticed the restaurant was unusually shallow for a Friday evening.
The job fair had a shallow turnout, so recruiters packed up early.
用法筆記
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
lacking depth, detail, or strong evidence; not likely to convince someone because it ignores the real complexity of a topic.
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
A shallow argument that ignores historical context will never hold up in a debate.
The CEO's explanation for why the project failed felt shallow — he blamed everything on bad luck.
- 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
- thorough
covers all important aspects with care
- penetrating
goes deep into the subject to reveal hidden truths
用法筆記
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.
常見錯誤
4. describing breathing where each breath brings very little air into the lungs, of
describing breathing where each breath brings very little air into the lungs, often happening during illness, fear, or stress.
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.
During the asthma attack, Ziad's breaths became rapid and shallow, frightening his family.
Practising deep breathing exercises can help replace shallow chest breathing with fuller breaths.
- deep
the standard opposite for breathing depth
文法句型
shallow + noun (breathing, breath)
用法筆記
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.
常見錯誤
5. rising or falling at a gentle angle rather than a steep one; not steep.
rising or falling at a gentle angle rather than a steep one; not steep.
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
A shallow roof angle is common in modern buildings in dry climates.
The driveway had a shallow ramp so that wheelchairs could roll up without difficulty.
- steep
the direct opposite for slopes, angles, and gradients
用法筆記
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
not interested in serious ideas, deep emotions, or meaningful relationships; concerned only with surface-level appearances or trivial matters.
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.
Brandon worried that his friends would think he was shallow for caring so much about his appearance.
A shallow person judges others by their looks rather than by their character or abilities.
- 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
- 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
用法筆記
This is the most common figurative sense of 'shallow'. It can describe people, conversations, interests, books, films, and media. Frequently appears in social criticism.
常見錯誤
❌ '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
1. an area in a river, lake, or sea where the water is not deep — often used in the
an area in a river, lake, or sea where the water is not deep — often used in the plural form 'shallows' to mean such areas collectively.
Small fish gather in the warm shallows near the shore during summer.
plural form: the shallows
Kemi waded carefully through the shallows, keeping an eye out for sharp rocks.
The boat ran aground in the shallows and had to be pushed back into deeper water.
Herons stand motionless in the shallows, waiting to catch small fish with their long beaks.
- depths
the deep parts of a body of water
- deep water
the direct opposite in everyday language
文法句型
the shallows
用法筆記
Almost always used in the plural form 'shallows' when referring to a general area. The singular 'shallow' is rare and usually appears in set phrases like 'a shallow' (an individual shallow spot).
常見錯誤
shallow — verb
1. to make a body of water, channel, or hole become less deep, typically by filling
to make a body of water, channel, or hole become less deep, typically by filling it with sand, mud, or other material.
The river was shallowed by years of silt washing down from the hills.
passive: shallowed by [natural process]
Construction crews shallowed the channel to create safer swimming areas near the beach.
Dredging had shallowed parts of the harbour, so larger ships could no longer enter.
The drought shallowed the creek until it was barely a few centimetres deep.
- deepen
the direct opposite verb
文法句型
shallow + noun phrase
用法筆記
A relatively rare transitive verb, used mostly in technical or geographical writing. In everyday English, people are more likely to say 'make something shallower' than use 'shallow' as a verb.
2. to become less deep, usually as a natural process such as the build-up of sand o
to become less deep, usually as a natural process such as the build-up of sand or mud.
The river shallows considerably during the dry summer months when rainfall is low.
As they walked further from the shore, the lake shallowed again near the sandbank.
Over decades the harbour shallowed, forcing fishermen to use smaller boats.
Near the delta the river shallows abruptly, creating sandbanks that boats must avoid.
- become shallower
the more common way to express this meaning in everyday English
- silt up
specifically refers to shallowing caused by silt
- deepen
the direct opposite when used intransitively
文法句型
[water body] shallows
用法筆記
Like the transitive counterpart, this intransitive use is rare in everyday speech. Both verb senses are common in geographical and environmental writing but unusual in casual conversation.