shadowy figure
Barely visible form
A shadowy figure is a person seen indistinctly or partially obscured—glimpsed in darkness, silhouetted against light, or obscured by distance.
The phrase emphasizes mystery or menace: A shadowy figure emerged from the alley.
In figurative use, a shadowy figure is someone who operates behind the scenes, whose identity or motives remain unclear: A shadowy figure in organized crime.
- silhouetteFilled-in outline shape
- phantomInsubstantial apparition
- specterGhostly threatening presence
- lurkingConcealed and watchful
- darknessTotal absence of light
mystery · mysterious stranger · stranger · tall dark stranger · cloaked · hooded · man in black · apparition · ghost · intruder · watching · stalker · menacing · obscured · faceless · looming · sinister · wraith
- thriller tropesplot twist, red herring, cliffhanger, whodunit, femme fatale
- mysterious figuresenigma, phantom, mysterious stranger, mystery man, mystery woman
- Noirfemme fatale, detective, gumshoe, hard-boiled, trench coats
- mysterious strangersstranger, mysterious stranger, mystery man, mystery woman, silhouette
- mysteryclue, detective, suspect, clues, sleuth
- spy thrillerspies, espionage, double agents, covert ops, undercover
shadowy figurepublic figure
Prominent, widely recognized person
known quantity · familiar face · household name · open book · celebrity
shadow, figure, shadows, shadowy, shadowed, shadowing, shadowless, overshadow, overshadowed