Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Full of or dark with shadow: synonym: dark.
  • adjective Casting shadows.
  • adjective Lacking distinctness; faint.
  • adjective Lacking substance; unsubstantial.
  • adjective Little known or understood; obscure or mysterious.
  • adjective Of questionable character; shady.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Full of, causing, or affording shadow or shade; shady; hence, dark; gloomy.
  • Faintly representative; typical.
  • Like a shadow; hence, ghostlike; unsubstantial; unreal; obscure; dim.
  • Indulging in fancies or dreamy imaginations.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Full of shade or shadows; causing shade or shadow.
  • adjective Hence, dark; obscure; gloomy; dim.
  • adjective Not brightly luminous; faintly light.
  • adjective Faintly representative; hence, typical.
  • adjective Unsubstantial; unreal.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective In shadow; darkened by shadows.
  • adjective of character Dark, obscure.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective lacking clarity or distinctness
  • adjective filled with shade
  • adjective lacking in substance

Etymologies

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