shiftier; shiftiest
1
: full of or ready with expedients : resourceful
2
a
: given to deception, evasion, or fraud : tricky
b
: capable of evasive movement : elusive
a shifty boxer
3
: indicative of a tricky nature
shifty eyes
shiftily adverb
shiftiness noun

Examples of shifty in a Sentence

shifty politicians making deals to channel federal funds into their districts shifty practices such as turning back the odometers on used cars
Recent Examples on the Web More and more teams are finding a need for smaller, shiftier players like Flowers. Mike Preston, Baltimore Sun, 26 Jan. 2024 Hackman and Lindo are more than believable as shifty men who are always fidgeting with energy, thinking about the next move while trying to seem present and calm. Eric Farwell, EW.com, 27 Oct. 2023 Other standouts include durable John Hawkes as Hank, a shifty detective that Liz works with; and Finn Bennett as Hank’s do-gooding son who is Liz’s badgered but tireless deputy. Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 10 Jan. 2024 Best, 48, appeared shifty during the hearing and broke down several times as the judge read out his charges, which include two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the death of his wife Kali Jean Randall, 38, and her unborn fetus. Samira Asma-Sadeque, Peoplemag, 5 Dec. 2023 So does being smaller, shiftier and faster than them, giving the Ravens a different dimension in a spread offense that is focused on getting the ball to players in space. Brian Wacker, Baltimore Sun, 4 Aug. 2023 Player to watch/Taconic: Sandifer, a senior guard, is a shifty and lethal scorer who averages 18.4 points per game. Nate Weitzer, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Mar. 2023 Threat culminated the scoring with a 25-yard TD run with 5:54 remaining, leaving defenders grasping for air with a pair of shifty moves of his own. Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2023 According to receivers coach Darrell Wyatt, Flowers is more shifty, but O’Keefe is faster in a straight line. Trevor Hass, BostonGlobe.com, 31 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shifty.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1570, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of shifty was circa 1570

Cite this Entry

“Shifty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shifty. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

shifty

adjective
shiftier; shiftiest
1
: not worthy of trust : tricky
2
: indicating a tricky character
shifty eyes
shiftily adverb
shiftiness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on shifty

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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