adjective
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given to evasions; artful
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furtive in character or appearance
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full of expedients; resourceful
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of shifty
Explanation
To be shifty is to be sneaky and devious. Shifty behavior is untrustworthy. Sometimes people shift around when they're nervous. That can help you remember the meaning of shifty, which describes someone who may not be literally shifting around, but they’re acting in a way that makes you think they're up to no good. Lying is shifty behavior. A fake ID is shifty. Asking a lot of questions about where money is kept is shifty too. Shifty actions and words are deceitful or suspicious. When someone acts shifty, others distrust them.
Vocabulary lists containing shifty
Norse Mythology
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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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Wink
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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.
More information about the death of Crazy Town frontman Shifty Shellshock has come to light, three months after the rap-rock performer died in June.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 25, 2024
Loot Lake was once a simple body of water, but now it’s home to all manner of mysterious facilities, while Shifty Shafts and its intricate tunnel system are now mostly blanketed in snow.
From The Verge • May 10, 2019
Ivanovic has been building iOS apps for many years, but his studio, Shifty Jelly, now makes 80% of its income on the Android side of the fence.
From Forbes • Dec. 22, 2014
Face to the Sky is the first single to be taken from John Cale's new album, Shifty Adventures in Nookie Wood.
From The Guardian • Aug. 30, 2012
The very idea of an imposture has never occurred to any body; in Little's case, it did not occur to me until this business of Shifty Dick enlightened me.
From Put Yourself in His Place by Reade, Charles
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.
