SHADOWS Synonyms: 131 Similar and Opposite Words

shadows 1 of 2

noun

plural of shadow

as in dark

a time or place of little or no light lurking in the shadows

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

shadows

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of shadow

as in chases

to go after or on the track of shadowing the suspect to see what he was up to

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in blurs

to make dark, dim, or indistinct thickening clouds shadowed the countryside

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in shades

to shelter (something) from light and heat a pathway shadowed by a canopy of arching branches

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of shadows

Noun

Visions, enhanced with shadows and emotion, came to life on marble through sketching the stone and chiseling and carving entirely by hand. — Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 26 Oct. 2026 This refusal to look directly at the shadows is all the more aggravating given how often The Mosquito Bowl pats itself on the back for being clear-eyed. — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2026 Horror’s bloody images lurk in the shadows – from ghouls leering over people’s lawns to skeletons hanging from trees – whether invited or not. — Liz Rosenberg, The Conversation, 23 Oct. 2026 The locations of the shadows in those simulations largely aligned with the locations of shadows in The Post’s analysis. — Dan Diamond, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026 The horror movie takes place in Vision’s mind-mansion, which Butcherbird has filled with red light, dark shadows, and ominous imagery. — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026 And then the sun slips above the horizon, and in an instant the shadows turn from indistinct gray blurs to sharp black lines. — Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026 These games are also lighter in terms of ray-tracing demands, running on the first versions of the technology, which were widely toggleable and focused on more realistic reflections and shadows. — Joe Osborne, PC Magazine, 17 Oct. 2026 The autumn sun is drifting southward and the angle of shadows is shifting. — Dana Kelley, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026

Verb

An unusually tight security detail shadows Rodríguez’s every step. — Eric Cortellessa, Time, 30 July 2026 While darker colors remained visible, they could be mistaken for dirt, debris, or shadows underwater. — Cody Godwin, USA Today, 1 May 2026 My driver slowed on purpose, timing the arrival for that late-afternoon light when the stucco warms and shadows sharpen. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Apr. 2026 The corridor before him seems never-ending, extending miles, shadows short and dark, shadows light and long. — Literary Hub, 9 Mar. 2026 Through it all, Kate and William balanced expanding royal duties with school runs and family life, even as illness still shadows the monarchy. — Simon Perry, PEOPLE, 19 Dec. 2025 However, Quinyon Mitchell has taken a step up this season and shadows the NFL’s best receiver. — Zach Berman, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025 If Gonzalez shadows Panthers rookie wideout Tetairoa McMillan, Carolina’s leading receiver, their battle could swing critical moments and perhaps the game. — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 28 Sep. 2025 The movie’s ensemble also includes Alicia Vikander, Jeffrey Wright, and Tom Sturridge, but this is said to be Dano’s show, with Law’s Putin a malevolent presence who shadows his every move. — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 25 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shadows

Noun

Sent from pillar to post – to the bank’s Accounts, Payments and Claims treading dark puddled basement corridors and joining seemingly interminable lines.

— John Hopewell, Variety, 21 Oct. 2026
Some other notable details are its Super-LumiNova glow-in-the-dark features — numbers 2 and 6 glow different colors to nod to the running back’s jersey number, 26.

— Kanika Talwar, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of dark

Verb

Six such accounts make up the series as Hojo chases the truth behind them.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 Oct. 2026
For anyone who grinds fresh every morning and chases single-origin lots, online talk about mold and mycotoxins in coffee tends to raise a practical question about how the stuff gets onto beans in the first place.

— Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of chases

Verb

Having first revealed her AMD diagnosis in 2012, which is a disease that blurs a person’s central vision by causing damage to the macula, Dench has discussed her potential retirement in recent years.

— Glenn Garner, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2026
And again, that just blurs the lines between what things are supposed to be.

— Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of blurs

Verb

Aaron Rodgers seemingly shades his brother Jordan in a new interview.

— Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Aug. 2026
Gabriel and Haaland are key men for their countries, too; whoever shades their personal duel will have a great chance of finishing on the winning team.

— Jack Lang, New York Times, 5 July 2026

Definition of shades

Noun

Or to be up high and see that, down below, a town is just a grid spread out on a map and nothing more, a grid that flickers with lights that spark on as the darkness commences.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026
Allure’s guide to permanent makeup describes artists placing individual dots and adjusting size, placement and darkness to produce a natural scatter across the nose and cheeks.

— Ashley Lynch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of darkness

Verb

The Wesleyan Media Project, a group of experts that tracks political propaganda in campaigns, identified at least 220 ads produced or enhanced with artificial intelligence by candidates or political action committees this election cycle.

— Anagilmara Vílchez, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2026
As of Friday morning, nearly 21 million Americans have already cast ballots in the midterm elections, according to the University of Florida's Election Lab, which tracks voting by mail and in person.

— A Martínez, NPR, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of tracks

Verb

Additionally, the metaphor of the kill switch also obscures the human decisions involved in the responsibility and oversight of an out-of-control model.

— Trent Wintermeier, The Conversation, 19 Oct. 2026
While the planets in our solar system are still visible, sky glow obscures more distant objects, such as fainter stars.

— Chris McMullen, Space.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of obscures

Browse Nearby Words

shadowlike

shadows

shadowy

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Style

“Shadows.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shadows. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of shadows

noun

verb

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