Phrase guide

Shadow Cabinet

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A senior group of opposition politicians who shadow the members of the government.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Holonym: shadow government
  • Meronym: shadow minister

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Alternative form of Shadow Cabinet.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: alt-of, alternative

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a group of senior members of the political party that is out of power; these members would probably assume corresponding positions as ministers in the British Cabinet if their party was elected

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: cabinet

History

Etymology

See shadow government.

Across languages

Translations

27 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: ստվերային կառավարություն (stverayin kaṙavarutʻyun) — a senior group of opposition politicians who shadow the members of the government
  • Chinese Mandarin: 影子內閣 /影子内阁 (yǐngzi nèigé) — a senior group of opposition politicians who shadow the members of the government
  • Czech: stínová vláda — a senior group of opposition politicians who shadow the members of the government
  • Danish: skyggekabinet — a senior group of opposition politicians who shadow the members of the government
  • Dutch: schaduwkabinet — a senior group of opposition politicians who shadow the members of the government
  • Finnish: varjohallitus — a senior group of opposition politicians who shadow the members of the government
  • French: cabinet fantôme — a senior group of opposition politicians who shadow the members of the government
  • Georgian: ჩრდილოვანი კაბინეტი (črdilovani ḳabineṭi) — a senior group of opposition politicians who shadow the members of the government
  • Georgian: ჩრდილოვანი მინისტრთა კაბინეტი (črdilovani minisṭrta ḳabineṭi) — a senior group of opposition politicians who shadow the members of the government
  • Georgian: ჩრდილოვანი მთავრობა (črdilovani mtavroba) — a senior group of opposition politicians who shadow the members of the government
  • German: Schattenkabinett — a senior group of opposition politicians who shadow the members of the government
  • Greek: σκιώδης κυβέρνηση (skiódis kyvérnisi) — a senior group of opposition politicians who shadow the members of the government
  • Hungarian: árnyékkabinet — a senior group of opposition politicians who shadow the members of the government
  • Indonesian: kabinet bayangan — a senior group of opposition politicians who shadow the members of the government
  • Italian: governo ombra — a senior group of opposition politicians who shadow the members of the government
  • Malay: kabinet bayangan — a senior group of opposition politicians who shadow the members of the government
  • Norwegian Bokmål: skyggekabinett — a senior group of opposition politicians who shadow the members of the government
  • Norwegian Bokmål: skyggeregjering — a senior group of opposition politicians who shadow the members of the government
  • Polish: gabinet cieni — a senior group of opposition politicians who shadow the members of the government
  • Portuguese: gabinete paralelo — a senior group of opposition politicians who shadow the members of the government
  • Russian: теневое прави́тельство (tenevoje pravítelʹstvo) — a senior group of opposition politicians who shadow the members of the government
  • Serbo-Croatian: влада у сјени — a senior group of opposition politicians who shadow the members of the government
  • Serbo-Croatian: vlada u sjeni — a senior group of opposition politicians who shadow the members of the government
  • Spanish: gabinete en la sombra — a senior group of opposition politicians who shadow the members of the government
  • Swedish: skuggkabinett — a senior group of opposition politicians who shadow the members of the government
  • Ukrainian: тіньовий уряд (tinʹovyj urjad) — a senior group of opposition politicians who shadow the members of the government
  • Vietnamese: nội các bóng tối — a senior group of opposition politicians who shadow the members of the government