diff --git a/basis/fonts/fonts.factor b/basis/fonts/fonts.factor
index 5806becd1a..fb89bdbfb0 100644
--- a/basis/fonts/fonts.factor
+++ b/basis/fonts/fonts.factor
@@ -9,8 +9,7 @@ size
 bold?
 italic?
 { foreground initial: COLOR: black }
-{ background initial: COLOR: white }
-shadow ;
+{ background initial: COLOR: white } ;
 
 : <font> ( -- font )
     font new ; inline
@@ -38,7 +37,6 @@ shadow ;
             [ [ italic?>> ] either? >>italic? ]
             [ [ foreground>> ] either? >>foreground ]
             [ [ background>> ] either? >>background ]
-            [ [ shadow>> ] either? >>shadow ]
         } 2cleave
     ] when* ;
 
@@ -58,7 +56,7 @@ shadow ;
         12 >>size ;
 
 : strip-font-colors ( font -- font' )
-    clone f >>background f >>foreground f >>shadow ;
+    clone f >>background f >>foreground ;
 
 TUPLE: metrics width ascent descent height leading cap-height x-height ;
 
diff --git a/basis/help/stylesheet/stylesheet.factor b/basis/help/stylesheet/stylesheet.factor
index 28861794fe..1072e23423 100644
--- a/basis/help/stylesheet/stylesheet.factor
+++ b/basis/help/stylesheet/stylesheet.factor
@@ -34,13 +34,12 @@ H{
     { font-style bold }
     { wrap-margin 500 }
     { foreground T{ rgba f 0.216 0.243 0.282 1.0 } }
-    { shadow COLOR: white }
     { page-color T{ rgba f 0.94 0.94 0.91 1.0 } }
     { border-width 5 }
 } title-style set-global
 
 SYMBOL: help-path-style
-H{ { font-size 10 } { shadow f } } help-path-style set-global
+H{ { font-size 10 } } help-path-style set-global
 
 SYMBOL: heading-style
 H{
diff --git a/basis/io/styles/styles-docs.factor b/basis/io/styles/styles-docs.factor
index d5219b5522..8fcf12aae9 100755
--- a/basis/io/styles/styles-docs.factor
+++ b/basis/io/styles/styles-docs.factor
@@ -121,7 +121,6 @@ ARTICLE: "character-styles" "Character styles"
 "Character styles for " { $link stream-format } " and " { $link with-style } ":"
 { $subsection foreground }
 { $subsection background }
-{ $subsection shadow }
 { $subsection font-name }
 { $subsection font-size }
 { $subsection font-style }
@@ -206,18 +205,6 @@ HELP: background
     }
 } ;
 
-HELP: shadow
-{ $description "Character style. An instance of " { $link color } ". See " { $link "colors" } "." }
-{ $examples
-    { $code
-        "\"Hello world\\n\""
-        "H{ { background COLOR: gray }"
-        "   { shadow COLOR: white }"
-        "   { font-size 72 }"
-        "} format"
-    }
-} ;
-
 HELP: font-name
 { $description "Character style. Font family named by a string." }
 { $examples
diff --git a/basis/io/styles/styles.factor b/basis/io/styles/styles.factor
index 7dbb90ffb4..2d25016919 100644
--- a/basis/io/styles/styles.factor
+++ b/basis/io/styles/styles.factor
@@ -116,7 +116,6 @@ SYMBOL: bold-italic
 ! Character styles
 SYMBOL: foreground
 SYMBOL: background
-SYMBOL: shadow
 SYMBOL: font-name
 SYMBOL: font-size
 SYMBOL: font-style
diff --git a/basis/ui/gadgets/labels/labels.factor b/basis/ui/gadgets/labels/labels.factor
index 9a6d7d47b3..83d15911e7 100644
--- a/basis/ui/gadgets/labels/labels.factor
+++ b/basis/ui/gadgets/labels/labels.factor
@@ -65,24 +65,13 @@ M: label baseline
 M: label cap-height
     label-metrics cap-height>> round ;
 
-: draw-text* ( font text fg bg -- )
-    [ rot ] dip
-    [ font-with-background ] when* swap
-    [ font-with-foreground ] when* swap
-    draw-text ;
-
-: draw-shadowed-text ( font text -- )
-    [
-        { 0 1 } [ over shadow>> background get draw-text* ]
-        with-translation
-    ] [ foreground get transparent draw-text* ] 2bi ;
-
-: draw-normal-text ( font text -- )
-    foreground get background get draw-text* ;
-
 M: label draw-gadget*
-    >label< over shadow>>
-    [ draw-shadowed-text ] [ draw-normal-text ] if ;
+    >label<
+    [
+        background get [ font-with-background ] when*
+        foreground get [ font-with-foreground ] when*
+    ] dip
+    draw-text ;
 
 M: label gadget-text* string>> % ;
 
diff --git a/basis/ui/gadgets/panes/panes.factor b/basis/ui/gadgets/panes/panes.factor
index 4c922141f6..6f68c32ff0 100644
--- a/basis/ui/gadgets/panes/panes.factor
+++ b/basis/ui/gadgets/panes/panes.factor
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ ui.gadgets.menus ui.clipboards ui.gestures ui.traverse ui.render
 ui.text ui.gadgets.presentations ui.gadgets.grids ui.gadgets.tracks
 ui.gadgets.icons ui.gadgets.grid-lines ui.baseline-alignment
 colors io.styles ;
-FROM: io.styles => foreground background shadow ;
+FROM: io.styles => foreground background ;
 IN: ui.gadgets.panes
 
 TUPLE: pane < track
@@ -199,12 +199,11 @@ MEMO: specified-font ( assoc -- font )
         [ font-size swap at >>size ]
         [ foreground swap at >>foreground ]
         [ background swap at >>background ]
-        [ shadow swap at >>shadow ]
     } cleave
     derive-font ;
 
 : apply-font-style ( style gadget -- style gadget )
-    { font-name font-style font-size foreground background shadow }
+    { font-name font-style font-size foreground background }
     pick extract-keys specified-font >>font ;
 
 : apply-style ( style gadget key quot -- style gadget )