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.
See Examples For:
I’m not saying we’re actively rooting for McIlroy to blow it, but it’s always spicy when the roller coaster creaks and the leaderboard gets shifty.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026
Trying to look manly and tough when your entire regime, from the top on down, consists of shifty characters with a wide range of obvious personality disorders might seem like a categorical error.
From Salon ● Mar. 8, 2026
After acting a bit shifty throughout the finale, Gwen revealed she has a boyfriend.
From BBC ● Dec. 26, 2024
“That’s what makes him so special, and that’s why we think so highly of him,” Herbert said of the shifty receiver.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2024
Muller was favored the least: Morgan found him shifty, laconic, and disengaged from the other members of the lab.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
DeBoer has historically utilized smaller, shiftier backs with an ability to catch the ball out of the backfield.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 22, 2022
Moss’ physical straight-ahead running style is expected to complement starting running back Devin Singletary’s shiftier approach.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 25, 2020
As teams went all-in on speed in reaction to the Penguins’ championships, smaller, shiftier players briefly had an edge over the players who dwarfed them but couldn’t get down the ice quite as fast.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 1, 2019
Browning isn’t a runner in the Manziel/Watson mode, but he is much shiftier than he appears, and has shown a propensity for extending plays.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 28, 2016
Their shiftier shapes might have held a message that in my new happiness and with a little bit of time I’d soon decipher.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
A four-star recruit from nearby Tampa and the shiftiest player on the Gators’ roster, Napier had seen enough of Wilson during fall camp to realize the true freshman could help right away.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 18, 2023
Miami traded five draft picks for Hill in March, bringing in one of the NFL’s shiftiest, speediest wideouts to ignite an offense that has flourished.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 7, 2022
So far, Lee has been Penn State’s shiftiest back.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 30, 2021
The Dodgers and Rays are among the "shiftiest" teams in the majors.
From Fox News ● May 23, 2019
The shiftiest excuse would have brought solace to a breaking heart and conviction to a casuist brain.
From A Book of Scoundrels by Charles Whibley
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.
