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shadow

noun · verb · adjective

Simple meaning

A dark image projected onto a surface where light is blocked by the shade of an object.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

shadoh

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈʃædoʊ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. A dark image projected onto a surface where light (or other radiation) is blocked by the shade of an object.

  2. An area protected by an obstacle (likened to an object blocking out sunlight).

  3. chiefly in the negative

    A small degree; a shade.

  4. Relative darkness, especially as caused by the interruption of light; gloom; obscurity.

  5. An influence, especially a pervasive or a negative one.

  6. One who secretly or furtively follows another.

verb

  1. transitive

    To shade, cloud, or darken.

  2. transitive

    To block light or radio transmission from.

  3. transitiveintransitive

    To accompany (a professional) during the working day, so as to learn about an occupation one intends to take up.

  4. transitive

    To represent faintly and imperfectly.

  5. transitive

    To hide; to conceal.

adjective

  1. Having power or influence, but not widely known or recognized.

  2. Unofficial, informal, unauthorized, but acting as though it were.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
A2 · Elementary (estimated)
Frequency
Common
Typical Use
General English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A dark image projected onto a surface where light (or other radiation) is blocked by the shade of an object.

Used this way, shadow is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use shadow

  • “The poor child was his mother's shadow.”noun
  • “He received little recognition working in the shadow of his father.”noun

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Dark / area

dark shadow

Relative

long shadowdeep shadowblack shadow

Small

mere shadow

Other combinations

shadow priceshadow cabinetshadow cast

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Similar Words, What’s the Difference?

Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.

  • shade

    Darkness where light, particularly sunlight, is blocked.

  • dark

    A dark shade or dark passage in a painting, engraving, etc.

  • darkness

    The product of being dark.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • shadowingnounInflected form

    The act of following someone secretly.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • shadow shownounCompound term

    A drama executed by throwing shadows on a wall.

  • shadow cabinetnounCompound term

    A group of senior members of the political party that is out of power.

  • shadow boxnounCompound term

    A shallow rectangular box with a transparent front used to protect and display small items (jewelry, coins, etc.).

  • shadow playnounCompound term

    A drama executed by throwing shadows on a wall.

  • rain shadownounCompound term

    An area that has little precipitation because some barrier causes the winds to lose their moisture before reaching it.

  • beyond a shadow of a doubtadverbCompound term

    In a manner or to a degree that could not be doubted.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: dark image projected onto a surface where light (or other radiation) is blocked by the shade of an object

shadedarkdarkness

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.