shadowy
adjUS /ˈʃæd.oʊ.i/ · UK /ˈʃæd.əʊ.i/
Etymology From Middle English schadwy, schadowy, equivalent to shadow + -y.
1
In shadow; darkened by shadows.
- He sat in a shadowy corner.
2
Of character Dark, obscure.
- He was a shadowy man who rarely spoke.
- By 1980, South Korea had overtaken its northern neighbour, and was well on its way to being one of the Asian tigers – high-performing economies, with democratic movements ultimately winning power in the 1990s. The withdrawal of most Soviet aid in 1991, with the fall of the Soviet empire, pushed North Korea further down. Kim Il-sung had held a genuine place on North Korean people's affections. His son was regarded as a shadowy playboy, with rumours circulating over the years that he imported Russian and Chinese prostitutes, and lived a life of profligacy and excess.2011 December 19, Kerry Brown, “Kim Jong-il obituary”, in The Guardian:
1 more example
- But the most frequent guests were as New York magazine put it, “Arab princes, Third World officials, and shadowy European and American businessmen.2017 June 7, Adam Lusher, “Adnan Khashoggi: the 'whoremonger' whose arms deals funded a playboy life of decadence and 'pleasure wives'”, in The Independent, London:
3
Figuratively Vague, dim, unclear, faint.
- Derived terms
- shadowily, shadowiness, unshadowy