- present participle of shade.
shading
Americannoun
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a slight variation or difference of color, character, etc.
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the act of a person or thing that shades.
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the representation of the different values of color or light and dark in a painting or drawing.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of shading
Vocabulary lists containing shading
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:
CALI, Colombia—This tropical city is known for the vibrant salsa music pulsating through its nightlife and the stately samán trees shading narrow streets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
On the sidewalk outside a charging station in downtown Abuja, women shading themselves with umbrellas sell mangoes and peanuts steps away from a Tesla Cybertruck.
From Barron's ● Jun. 8, 2026
It’s an added shading, an honest commentary, that feels right, as if it were there all along in the DNA of this well-traveled tale of existential concern, just waiting to be uncovered.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026
Plants with steeper, more upright leaves were able to rise above neighboring plants during early growth stages, capturing more sunlight while shading out competitors below.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 8, 2026
I squint up at him, shading my eyes from the sun.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
By contrast, the frequently angry and bitter Saul at least has the kind of shadings that make him a worthy frenemy, and “David” could have mined more conflict from the relationship between the two.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 18, 2025
As the garden mellows and dies down, potted plants take center stage with their fresh foliage and seasonal shadings.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 16, 2023
It gave occasionally warm shadings to the seeming sternness of the winter sky.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 26, 2022
As for the reverend being the story of his own biodoc, however, “Loudmouth” — even at two hours — isn’t too keen on filling in the details or shadings that provide a deeper portrait.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 8, 2022
Then I’d read it over and over, adding each time a word, a phrase, a sentence until I felt that I had caught all the shadings of reality I felt dimly were there.
From "Native Son" by Richard Wright
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.
