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

The three colors are mixed in different combinations and ratios, producing 16 different shades. — Devika Rao, TheWeek, 19 Oct. 2026

Downstairs is a spacious sleeping area that could also work as a gym or home office and benefits from an enormous skylight equipped with automatic blackout shades. — Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 19 Oct. 2026

Don’t forget the sleek black shades and pointed pumps, either. — Christian Allaire, Vogue, 19 Oct. 2026

Throughout her search, some shades came close, others not so much, but nothing was quite right. — Lindy Segal, Glamour, 18 Oct. 2026

The concealer, which comes in 25 shades, goes on top to add a subtle glow that plays up the color of the eyes. — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 16 Oct. 2026

This dynamic comes through the mill’s fabric families like D’enovated, which applies contemporary constructions, comfort stretch and a broad spectrum of indigo shades to authentic-looking denim. — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026

There’s also the occasional short A-line dress—Christian sorority-girl style—in pastel shades or, of course, MAGA red. — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 16 Oct. 2026

The nails apply just like traditional press-ons; to swap shades during wear, users simply select a hue in the app and insert the tip of each nail into an accompanying wand, which delivers a small charge of power to change colors. — Nina Derwin, Time, 15 Oct. 2026

Verb

Aaron Rodgers seemingly shades his brother Jordan in a new interview. — Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Aug. 2026

Gabriel and Haaland are key men for their countries, too; whoever shades their personal duel will have a great chance of finishing on the winning team. — Jack Lang, New York Times, 5 July 2026

The thick debris mantle shades the ice, keeping it colder, similar to how ski areas have started covering their slopes with reflective blankets in summer to stave off melting. — Ashlesha Khatiwada, The Conversation, 1 July 2026

Morning sun is best, so keep these flowers on a porch that shades them from afternoon sun or provides dappled light. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 1 July 2026

Nieusma notes that calendula grows low to the ground, forming a ground cover that shades the soil and suppresses weeds. — Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 26 June 2026

The side has an awning held up by support bars, which shades the front doorway and mesh window. — Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 22 June 2026

Pulling the focal point to the base of the nails, this manicure shades over the cuticle border with metallic blue half-moons. — Sunnah Rasheed, InStyle, 25 May 2026

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