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

Enter Pro Filt’r Fluid Flex Foundation, $48, available in 50 shades, for which Rihanna took her original shade range back and started from scratch — fine-tuning undertones, creating more neutrals and testing all around the world. — Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 19 Aug. 2026

Soldiers have repeatedly dismantled their tents and shades in the area only to have the settlers return to area on the outskirts of a village 10 miles from the Palestinian city of Nablus. — Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026

The drugstore formula comes in 20 shades, including the translucent-pink Opal, a shimmery shoe-in for everyday wear, and the sheer, summery Peach Ring. — Jenny Berg, Glamour, 18 Aug. 2026

The highly pigmented semi gloss deposits color—13 shades—that lasts up to eight washes, leaving behind lustrous hair. — Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 18 Aug. 2026

Instead, the range of 38 shades are all neutral and developed for their depth, taking much of the guesswork out of shade matching. — Celia Shatzman, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

That means stained glass, visible metalwork, sculptural shades and colored or textured glass. — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 17 Aug. 2026

Take this tile set, for example, made of high-quality acrylic and featuring layers of pink shades decorated with glossy white faces and floral details. — Kate Boswell, Southern Living, 17 Aug. 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