shadowy

adjective

shad·​owy ˈsha-dō-ē 

-də-wē

1

a

: of the nature of or resembling a shadow

b

: faintly perceptible : indistinct

2

: being in or obscured by shadow

deep shadowy interiors

3

a

: shady sense 1

b

: shady sense 3

shadowily

ˈsha-də-wə-lē 

adverb

shadowiness

ˈsha-də-wē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• blear
• bleary
• blurry
• dim
• faint
• foggy
• fuzzy
• gauzy
• hazy
• indefinite
• indistinct
• indistinguishable
• misty
• murky
• nebulous
• obscure
• opaque
• pale
• unclear
• undefined
• undetermined
• vague

Examples of shadowy in a Sentence

She was pursued by a shadowy figure.

He had only a shadowy idea of what they wanted him to do.

Recent Examples on the Web

In Messiah, Scytale is a shadowy, shapeshifting figure who concocts a plan to overthrow Paul Atreides (played by Timothée Chalamet in Villeneuve's movies). —Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 9 Apr. 2025

Confronting this shadowy threat to kids everywhere, Mani was named as one of TIME's most influential people in AI last year due to her advocacy fighting deepfakes. —ArsTechnica, 4 Apr. 2025

For the past five years, in its slow and grinding way, the federal government labored to bring some sunlight into the shadowy realm of corporate secrecy. —Andrew Rice, Curbed, 4 Apr. 2025

The messages also detailed the shadowy influence that Jones appeared to hold in her administration. —Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

shadowy

adjective

shad·​owy ˈshad-ə-wē 

1

a

: not realistic

shadowy dreams of glory

b

: dim as a shadow

the shadowy area between good and bad

2

: full of shade

a shadowy lane