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
While it’s likely traditional kick return guys — think diminutive, shifty and speedy — would still have a role, there is a question of whether prototypical running backs could be useful.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 4, 2024
His shifty eyes fell on me, rolled away.
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
Moss’ physical straight-ahead running style is expected to complement starting running back Devin Singletary’s shiftier approach.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 25, 2020
In particular, the 6-0, 213-pound Newton — who was sidelined during his redshirt season with a shoulder injury — could provide an intriguing change of pace from the smaller, shiftier Ahmed and McGrew.
From Seattle Times ● May 1, 2019
“Myles is a little shiftier, a little more wait, wait, patient. Lavon is more of a downhill, find a crease and hit it hard. That’s when I think that he’s at his best.”
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 26, 2016
If an opponent uses a shiftier player who can put the ball on the floor at power forward, Humphries and Gooden must leave their comfort zones and guard him on the perimeter.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 6, 2015
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
At that he was an adept, and not the shiftiest, craftiest schemes he had ever devised had given him a moment's uneasiness.
From The Grain of Dust by Phillips, David Graham
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.
