shallow

B1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈʃæl.oʊ/ UK /ˈʃæləʊ/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like sallow /s/ vs /ʃ/

verb adj Freq #6944

Meanings

1

adj
Not deep; measuring only a short distance from top to bottom.

The water is shallow here, so it's safe for children.
2

adj
Caring only about unimportant things and lacking serious thought or feeling.

It was a glamorous but shallow lifestyle.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 adj · caring only about... skin-deep

More superficial

Opposites

deep

Word family

Forms shallowedshallowershallowestshallowingshallownessshallows

Derived forms nonshallowshallow-copyshallow-friedshallow-fryshallow-heartedshallow-waistedshallow-wittedshallowatershallowheartedshallowishshallowlyshallowness

Related forms sandbank sandbar shoal

Etymology

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.

*(s)kelh₁- Proto-Indo-European schalowe Middle English *skal- Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

# shallow

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** verb, adj
**IPA (US):** ˈʃæl.oʊ
**IPA (UK):** ˈʃæləʊ
**Frequency rank:** 6944

## Meanings
1. Not deep; measuring only a short distance from top to bottom.
2. Caring only about unimportant things and lacking serious thought or feeling.

## Examples
- The water is shallow here, so it's safe for children.
- It was a glamorous but shallow lifestyle.

## Synonyms
- superficial

## Antonyms
- deep

## Derived Forms
- nonshallow
- shallow-copy
- shallow-fried
- shallow-fry
- shallow-hearted
- shallow-waisted
- shallow-witted
- shallowater
- shallowhearted
- shallowish
- shallowly
- shallowness

## Related Forms
- sandbank
- sandbar
- shoal

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *(s)kelh₁-
- Root: schalowe
- Root: *skal-

## Etymology
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.

## AI Etymology
Shallow is 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. Important forms in the word's history include Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelh₁-, Middle English schalowe, Proto-Germanic *skal-. In current use it includes senses such as Not deep; measuring only a short distance from top to bottom and Caring only about unimportant things and lacking serious thought or feeling.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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shallow

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