shallow

Shallow is an adjective and, less commonly, a noun used to describe something that is not deep or that lies close to the surface. It can refer to physical depth, such as a shallow body of water, a shallow pool, or a shallow hole, where the distance from the surface to the bottom is small. The term is also used in non-physical contexts to indicate a lack of depth or complexity.

In natural and everyday contexts, shallow often describes water or soil. Shallow water covers the portion of a lake, river, or ocean where the depth is small enough that sunlight reaches the bottom and objects may be easily touched or stranded. Shallow soil or foundations are easier to work with but may be less stable for certain structures. The phrase the “shallow end” commonly appears in swimming pools to distinguish it from the deeper end.

In medicine and biology, shallow can describe processes or states with limited depth or amplitude, such as shallow breathing, which involves relatively quick, shallow inhalations, or shallow wounds, which do not extend deeply into tissue. In other domains, shallow is used in computing to contrast with deep concepts: a shallow copy of a data structure duplicates the outer container but not nested elements, potentially sharing references with the original.

Metaphorically, shallow denotes a lack of depth in thinking, understanding, or emotional content. It is often used to critique superficial judgments, appearances, or cultural phenomena that do not engage with underlying causes or complexities.