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:
Knowing this documentary exists — that a slippery figure like Fielder is going toe-to-toe with the equally shifty Holmes — is its own “spoiler.”
From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2026
Will his crew see this grandiose conspiracy through, despite their shifty partners and some last-minute catastrophes?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
"Bird-watchers are tense, competitive, selfish, shifty, dishonest, distrusting, boorish, pedantic, unsentimental, arrogant and - above all, envious" he wrote.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Against the quarterback known for his elusive and shifty scrambling, it was Justin Herbert who made the first big play with his legs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 25, 2024
There was a comical moment in the fifth year when our English teacher demanded, “But you have had lessons in grammar?” and we all looked shifty, as if the fault was ours.
From "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" by Author
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
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
More often, shorter, shiftier players have a better tendency to thrive in a running game designed to flow away from congestion at the line of scrimmage.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 16, 2010
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
How then obtain our Cherubino, our shiftiest and most fickle of pages?
From Belcaro Being Essays on Sundry Aesthetical Questions by Vernon Lee
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
