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Glite Dictionary
shadower

shadower

8.9
A person who follows someone secretly and tells others what they do
  • noun
  • /ˈʃædoʊər/
: sombra
  • The detective hired a shadower to track the suspect's daily routine and gather evidence.

Examples

  • My attempts to shake my shadowers, for instance, or the way I would fly into a rage and shout at the television news or newspaper articles were either completely ignored or reported as if they had happened for different reasons.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • Goldinger, S. D. (1999). Only the shadower knows: Comment on Hamburger and Slowiaczek (1996). Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 6, 347-351.

    Academic text (2012)

  • The shadower followed the politician through the crowded streets to gather information for his report.

  • As a shadower, her job was to discreetly monitor the suspect's movements without being noticed.

Synonyms

spy
vsshadower
596 2.9

A person who secretly collects information for a government or company

is the particular task of secretly following and reporting a person's movements
operative
vsshadower
204 7.3

A person who works as a secret agent or detective

is a specific role among these, focused on following and reporting movements
secret agent
vsshadower
65 3.4

A person who gathers hidden information for a government about enemies

is narrower, mainly about secretly following and reporting movements
tail
vsshadower
44 8.8

A person who follows someone secretly to watch them

is the general employed follower who observes and reports movements
undercover agent
vsshadower
27 4.1

A person who works secretly for the police to gather information while hiding who they are

focuses specifically on following and reporting an individual's movements
spotter
vsshadower
25 4.4

A person who watches closely and reports storms, dangers, or animal sightings

is more specifically about covertly following an individual and reporting movements
intelligence agent
vsshadower
  • Specialized
16 3.0

A person who secretly works for a government to get information about the country's safety

is less formal, focused on physically following and noting movements
shadow
vsshadower
11 6.6

A person who follows someone closely, often to learn from them

is specifically an employed secret follower who reports movements
snoop
vsshadower
9 7.4

A person who secretly looks for other people's private information

is an employed watcher whose task is to follow and report movements
foreign agent
vsshadower
5 7.5

A person who secretly gathers and gives information to another country

is similar work but not tied to a foreign government
gumshoe
vsshadower
  • Archaic
5 8.4

A detective who works quietly and follows people to find facts

is more narrowly the paid covert follower concentrating on movement reports
peeper
vsshadower
  • NSFW
3 9.3

A person who secretly watches others without their knowledge

is an organized, employed role focused on reporting movements rather than curiosity
snooper
vsshadower
3 7.4

A person who secretly tries to find out about other people's private things

is specifically assigned to covertly follow and record a person's movements
espionage agent
vsshadower
  • Specialized
1 5.8

A person who secretly gets information for another country or company

is more narrowly the employed follower reporting a person's movements
surveillant
vsshadower
1 8.1

A person who watches others to make sure they follow rules

is covert and aimed at following an individual rather than rule checking

How Covert

spy
596 2.9
shadower
8.9
to tail
65 5.9
follower
3 1.0

Surface Forms

shadower singular
shadowers plural

Morphology

shadower = shadow (transparent) = shadow + er

Clear agentive formation from the verb 'shadow' with the productive English suffix '-er' meaning 'one who does X'.

Etymology

Shadower comes from shadow ('a dark shape that follows you') and the ending -er ('one who does something'). So a shadower is like a living shadow, someone who follows another person closely and secretly.