shading

noun

shad·​ing ˈshā-diŋ How to pronounce shading (audio)
1
: the use of marking made within outlines to suggest three-dimensionality, shadow, or degrees of light and dark in a picture or drawing
2
: an interpretative effect in music gained especially by subtle changes in dynamics

Examples of shading in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This will become increasingly more and more evident as the minutes pass, the shading appearing to spread and deepen. Joe Rao, Space.com, 9 Mar. 2025 Difficulty seeing fine details and subtle differences in shading and patterns9 What Causes MMD? Lindsay Curtis, Health, 6 Apr. 2025 Tykwer doesn’t bring anything close to the subtlety and shading that Kieslowski would have, in the story of a vigilante teacher (Blanchett) who tries to get back at drug dealers who have infiltrated her school by blowing them up with a bomb, which ends up killing the wrong people. Tim Grierson, Vulture, 15 Mar. 2025 Not even Caplan, whose one-note portrayal of a quarrelsome congresswoman is enough to make one yearn for the subtleties and emotional shadings of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Graham Hillard, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 7 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for shading

Word History

First Known Use

1663, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of shading was in 1663

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Cite this Entry

“Shading.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shading. Accessed 4 May. 2025.

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