shading

[shey-ding]

noun

1. a slight variation or difference of color, character, etc.

2. the act of a person or thing that shades.

3. the representation of the different values of color or light and dark in a painting or drawing.

shading

/ ˈʃeɪdɪŋ /

noun

1. the graded areas of tone, lines, dots, etc, indicating light and dark in a painting or drawing

Word History and Origins

Origin of shading¹

First recorded in 1605–15; shade + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

“Coyote” offers intimate shadings on a story that will be familiar to fans of literary biography or anyone who has ever attended a 12-step recovery program.

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The painter’s technical brilliance is evident in the soft shading of features and the depiction of multiple layers of transparent fabric.

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Still, the “Task” ensemble’s expansive size means some roles receive more extensive narrative shading than others.

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During “Southern Man,” Micah Nelson walked over to an old, battered upright piano and admirably acquitted himself in the shading and spirit of Nils Lofgren’s work on the original.

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The full interview was posted to YouTube on July 27 and casts a slightly different shading on Leno’s comments.

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Related Words

• complexion