shady

adjective

ˈshā-dē 

shadier; shadiest

1

: producing or affording shade

2

: sheltered from the sun's rays

3

a

: of questionable merit : uncertain, unreliable

b

: disreputable

shadily

ˈshā-də-lē 

adverb

shadiness

ˈshā-dē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms of shady

• shaded
• shadowy
• shadowed
• sheltered
• darkened

Examples of shady in a Sentence

Their backyard is nice and shady.

I don't trust him. He seems like a pretty shady character.

Recent Examples on the Web

That combination can get past the skepticism many of us have learned to apply to obviously shady emails and suspicious websites. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2026

From Ryan and Myers to directors Adam Arkin, guest starring as a shady lawyer to boot, and Nina Lopez-Corrado, everybody on American Hostage deserves credit for introducing all these good elements. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2026

Keep the cuttings in a shady site until leaves start to form, and then they can then be gradually moved into a full-sun location. — Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2026

Susanna Hoffs, the songwriter, novelist, and singer in the Bangles, the nineteen-eighties all-female rock band, was sitting on the shady side of MOMA’s sculpture garden. — John Seabrook, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for shady

• cady
• lady
• zaidi
• arcady
• landlady

Kids Definition

shady

adjective

ˈshād-ē 

shadier; shadiest

1

: casting a shadow : giving shade

2

: sheltered from the sun's rays

a shady grove

3

: not right or honest

a shady business deal

shadily

ˈshād-ᵊl-ē 

adverb

shadiness

ˈshād-ē-nəs 

noun