shifty

[ shif-tee ]

/ ˈʃɪf ti /

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See synonyms for: shifty / shiftily / shiftiness on Thesaurus.com

adjective, shift·i·er, shift·i·est.

resourceful; fertile in expedients.

given to or full of evasions; tricky.

suggesting a deceptive or evasive character: a shifty look.

OTHER WORDS FOR shifty

2 crafty, foxy, slippery.

See synonyms for shifty on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of shifty

First recorded in 1560–70; shift + -y¹

OTHER WORDS FROM shifty

shift·i·ly, adverbshift·i·ness, nounun·shift·y, adjective

Words nearby shifty

shift key, shiftless, shift lever, shift lock, shiftwork, shifty, shigella, shigellosis, Shih Ching, Shih Huang Ti, Shih Tzu

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use shifty in a sentence

Through some shifty maneuvering, I cut the line and managed to be one of the first ones in.
Partying With the Golden Globes Stars: Taylor Swift Cuts a Rug, Ben Affleck Holds Court, and More|Marlow Stern|January 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What would a Mad Man think if he was picked out of a crowd and searched because someone thought that he looked shifty?
Living in the Land of the Free Doesn’t Make You Free|Walter Mosley|July 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Whether you like or loathe the AMC mystery, you love Holder, the shifty cop played by Joel Kinnaman.
Joel Kinnaman: ‘The Killing’s’ Scene-Stealer|Tricia Romano|May 25, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Fat ones, skinny ones, shifty-eyed ones with pencil moustaches and electronic ankle bracelets.
Heinous Investment Advice|Andy Borowitz|March 23, 2009|DAILY BEAST

Her eyes, now kindling again as she recovered from her recent fears, sought Fortunio's shifty glance.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
Do, said Dangerfield, who by now was in a high pitch of excitement, staring with shifty suspicion at the woman.
The Woman Gives|Owen Johnson
He wore a sarcastic smile on his face, and his shifty eyes seemed to be constantly looking for a resting-place.
A Little Union Scout|Joel Chandler Harris
His genial, shifty, pliable, and yet persistent personality was forced to humour obstacles and to fawn on circumstance.
The Memoirs of Count Carlo Gozzi; Volume the first|Count Carlo Gozzi
Now they were inclined to be shifty and evasive and not always over civil; and all this had come about suddenly.
A Frontier Mystery|Bertram Mitford

British Dictionary definitions for shifty

shifty

/ (ˈʃɪftɪ) /

adjective shiftier or shiftiest

given to evasions; artful

furtive in character or appearance

full of expedients; resourceful

Derived forms of shifty

shiftily, adverbshiftiness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

shifty

OTHER WORDS FOR shifty

Origin of shifty

OTHER WORDS FROM shifty

Words nearby shifty

Words related to shifty

How to use shifty in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for shifty

Derived forms of shifty