Synonyms of shades

shades 1 of 2

noun

plural of shade

1

as in colors

a property that becomes apparent when light falls on an object and by which things that are identical in form can be distinguished

a lovely shade of blue

Synonyms & Similar Words

• colors
• hues
• tones
• tints
• colorations
• tinges
• tinctures
• colorings
• contrasts
• casts
• undertones
• overtones
• primary colors
• values
• saturations
• pigmentations
• secondary colors
• chromas
• chromaticities
• tertiary colors
• colorways

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• achromatisms

2

as in splashes

a very small amount

just a shade taller than his dance partner

Synonyms & Similar Words

• splashes
• specks
• glimmers
• sprinklings
• hints
• touches
• bits
• little
• shadows
• licks
• particles
• dabs
• traces
• flecks
• rays
• sparks
• streaks
• handfuls
• ounces
• smells
• slivers
• drams
• spots
• spatters
• shreds
• crumbs
• nips
• peanuts
• bites
• smacks
• scruples
• soupçons
• strains
• dashes
• suspicions
• mites
• scintillas
• parts
• driblets
• drops
• smidgens
• snaps
• molecules
• pinches
• aces
• skoshes
• drops in the bucket
• grains
• patches
• tastes
• dots
• atoms
• syllables
• doses
• granules
• portions
• sections
• semblances
• vestiges
• minima
• fragments
• scraps
• minims
• motes
• whits
• nibbles
• nubbins
• smatterings
• morsels
• chips
• modicums
• iotas
• jots
• flakes
• shards
• flyspecks
• scatterings
• hoots
• splinters
• tittles
• shivers
• shavings
• clippings
• smatters
• parings
• tatters
• smithereens
• shots

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• masses
• quantities
• loads
• mountains
• barrels
• buckets
• piles
• bundles
• bushels
• lots
• stacks
• deals
• heaps
• rafts
• abundances
• volumes
• reams
• gobs
• pecks
• fistfuls
• scads
• oodles
• wads
• wealths
• boatloads
• messes
• lashings
• profusions
• much
• potfuls
• excesses
• plenties
• passels
• slabs
• surpluses
• overflows
• chunks
• embarrassments
• superfluities
• bonanzas
• overages
• hunks
• lumps
• overmuch
• overabundances
• surfeits
• oversupplies
• overkills
• superabundances

3

as in spirits

the soul of a dead person thought of especially as appearing to living people

spirits and shades haunting the night

Synonyms & Similar Words

• spirits
• shadows
• apparitions
• ghosts
• visions
• phantoms
• wraiths
• haunts
• specters
• vampires
• materializations
• familiar spirits
• phantasms
• sprites
• zombies
• spooks
• poltergeists
• demons
• visitants
• bogeys
• angels
• hants
• genies
• doubles
• daimones
• ghouls
• jinn
• manes
• familiars
• fetches
• doppelgängers
• shaitans
• succubi
• incubi
• geniuses
• devils
• lemures
• imps
• lamiae
• cacodemons
• fiends

shades

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of shade

as in shadows

to shelter (something) from light and heat

the trees shaded us quite nicely from the noonday sun

Synonyms & Similar Words

• shadows
• protects
• covers
• clouds
• dims
• darkens
• overshadows
• dulls
• overcasts
• screens
• canopies

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• lights
• illuminates
• exposes
• lightens

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of shades

Noun

Those bright, vibrant blooms in shades of yellow, orange, and red also repel flies and other insects thanks to their pungent odors. —Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 10 May 2026

Eight shades suit a range of skin tones, from soft cool pinks to warm peachy corals. —Jailynn Taylor, Allure, 10 May 2026

Fine, throw on that tracksuit and shades, pull up to the gym, drop 35 points and grab 10 rebounds, almost with a shrug, as Mitchell did to help the Cavs win Game 3 Saturday, 116-109. —Joe Vardon, New York Times, 10 May 2026

The mascot, like other celebrities with social media followings, was accessorized with shades from Sunglass Hut, a bag from Coach and a manicure from Essie. —Ralphie Aversa, USA Today, 9 May 2026

Described as having shades of the dystopian vibe of John Carpenter classic Escape from New York and the chase-across-America cult classic Vanishing Point, the cyberpunk action comic will tell the story in a way not seen too often in modern publishing. —Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 8 May 2026

This gem-by-number kit includes a wax stylus and a stand-up canvas with a hummingbird print that can be filled in with 12 sparkling shades. —Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 8 May 2026

In a recent Instagram post, the actress was spotted relaxing on a boat in a pair of Brooks Glycerin 22 sneakers in shades of white, blue, and pink. —Jeaneen Russell, PEOPLE, 8 May 2026

The company boldly rebranded in 2014, replacing a color scheme that featured two shades of blue. —Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 3 May 2026

Verb

Unfortunately, Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum) is invasive and quickly shades out other plants. —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 11 Apr. 2026

So that's the thing that keeps us cooler, shades us. —March 9, CBS News, 9 Mar. 2026

Basil shades the ground around tomatoes, conserving soil moisture. —Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 27 Feb. 2026

New Zealand actor Shand shades him with welcome nuance. —Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 20 Feb. 2026

The skin tone shades work as a complexion product or a powder, while the universal shades can be used to prep the skin. —Essence Wiley, InStyle, 7 Feb. 2026

Tall grass also shades weed seedlings, preventing them from expanding and overtaking desirable grass plants, better than short turf. —Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Oct. 2025

The jersey has Sacramento emblazoned across the chest with a new palette of deep ink purple and bright violet accents, shades the team has never used before. —Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 17 Sep. 2025

But Slate also shades Nikki with such specific nuances, anxieties, and sadnesses that, even with a performance as powerful as Williams’s at its center, the show develops into a two-hander, something of a love story between the pair. —Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2025