shady

\ ˈshā-dē

How to pronounce shady (audio)

\

shadier; shadiest

Definition of shady

1 : producing or affording shade

2 : sheltered from the sun's rays

3a : of questionable merit : uncertain, unreliable

b : disreputable

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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 If your patio includes shady areas, pentas can replace the firebush. — Calvin Finch, ExpressNews.com, "Fall blooms to attract butterflies and hummingbirds to your San Antonio garden," 13 Sep. 2019 There are sweeping landscaped lawns, orchards, shady picnic areas, and wide-open views of Narragansett Bay. — Pamela Wright, BostonGlobe.com, "8 state parks in New England to visit this fall," 3 Sep. 2019 Persian ivy is a wonderful evergreen groundcover for shady areas. — Howard Garrett, Dallas News, "Can't grow grass in your shady yard? Try these pretty groundcovers," 23 July 2019 More shade: Beer trailers at the south end of the festival move away from Southwest Naito Parkway to the river side of the grounds, opening space under trees and creating more shady, grassy lounging areas. — Andre Meunier, oregonlive.com, "Oregon Brewers Festival kicks off this week with Unipiper’s ‘full flame and sound’," 21 July 2019 Most mushrooms like shady areas, but chanterelles like sun in conifer forests. — Allyson Reedy, The Know, "Extremely rare, coveted mushrooms that only appear after a wildfire are popping up in southern Colorado," 18 July 2019 More concerning, the ticks were lurking in short, sunny grass, whereas other ticks in the area tend to stick to shady, wooded areas. — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "Savage tick-clone armies are sucking cows to death; experts fear for humans," 11 July 2019 Caladiums are excellent for shady areas and combine beautifully with ferns, begonias, torenia, liriope, impatiens, hosta and coleus. — Dan Gill, NOLA.com, "Plant these vegetables in April, and other garden tips," 7 Apr. 2019 The 12 qualifying candidates will share the most crowded stage yet — at Otterbein University, a central Ohio liberal arts campus of brick buildings and shady trees that are now turning various shades of orange and red. — Noah Bierman, Los Angeles Times, "The dirty little secret about covering a debate," 15 Oct. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shady.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

27 Nov 2019

Cite this Entry

“Shady.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shady. Accessed 6 December 2019.

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More Definitions for shady

shady

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of shady

: giving or providing shade

: sheltered from the sun's light : having shade

informal : seeming to be dishonest

See the full definition for shady in the English Language Learners Dictionary

shady

\ ˈshā-dē

\

shadier; shadiest

Kids Definition of shady

1 : sheltered from the sun's rays

2 : producing shade a shady tree

3 : not right or honest shady business deals

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very cautious or careful

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