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View synonyms for shady

shady

[shey-dee]

adjective

shadier, shadiest 
  1. abounding in shade; shaded: shade.

    shady paths.

  2. giving shade.

    a shady tree.

  3. shadowy; indistinct; spectral.

  4. of dubious character; rather disreputable.

    shady dealings.



shady

/ ˈʃeɪdɪ /

adjective

  1. full of shade; shaded

  2. affording or casting a shade

  3. dim, quiet, or concealed

  4. informal,  dubious or questionable as to honesty or legality

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • shadily adverb
  • shadiness noun
  • unshadily adverb
  • unshadiness noun
  • unshady adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of shady1

First recorded in 1570–80; shade + -y 1
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. on the shady side of, beyond (the specified age); more than.

    on the shady side of 40.

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Guadagnino makes Hank look so shady that it feels like a taunt: We’re dumb if we trust Hank and doubly dumb if he’s innocent.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

I was eager to see how criminals make these shady deals with potentially treacherous employees at a time when cyber-attacks around the world are becoming more impactful and disruptive to everyday life.

Read more on BBC

A white family takes her in, but seemingly not legally, and more shady dealings are revealed throughout the novel but never solved.

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The FTC said Amazon was aware its practices might be questioned, pointing to internal documents in which executives and employees made comments like "subscription driving is a bit of a shady world".

Read more on BBC

In fact, the biggest government initiative proposed in the document is deregulating food safety standards, which would make it easier for shady operations to sell goods at farmers markets.

Read more on Salon

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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