1
as in shaded
protected from the sun's rays
a lovely shady spot in the park that was pleasantly cool
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in deceptive
given to or marked by cheating and deception
a shady business deal
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in questionable
giving good reason for being doubted, questioned, or challenged
cited some shady statistics to back up his argument
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4
as in shifty
given to acting in secret and to concealing one's intentions
shady characters hanging out in the park after nightfall
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in notorious
not respectable
a courtesan who lived on the shady fringe of society
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shady
The plot is being kept under wraps, but our first proper look at the game revealed that shady bounty hunter Sylux, who'd already been mean towards Samus in the past, had been chosen as the main villain (unless there's a huge twist lurking in the shadows).
—
Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 1 May 2025
Plants that need full sun will not thrive, and often don’t flower well, in shady conditions; and shade-loving plants may burn up in full sun.
—Rita Pelczar, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Apr. 2025
Join a group hike along a shady, 1.5-mile trail in Doris Leeper Spruce Creek Preserve.
—Joe Rassel, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Apr. 2025
There is a lot of shady stuff that goes on with children being taken advantage of and manipulated and abused.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shady
Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 1 May 2025
Plants that need full sun will not thrive, and often don’t flower well, in shady conditions; and shade-loving plants may burn up in full sun.
—Rita Pelczar, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Apr. 2025
Join a group hike along a shady, 1.5-mile trail in Doris Leeper Spruce Creek Preserve.
—Joe Rassel, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Apr. 2025
There is a lot of shady stuff that goes on with children being taken advantage of and manipulated and abused.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shady
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shady
Adjective
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In the 1970s, information about the Tuskegee study – a deceptive and unethical 40-year study of untreated syphilis in Black men – came to light.—
Christine Coughlin,
The Conversation,
9 May 2025
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Anyone wanting to fight such usage would have to rely on deceptive practice laws, trademark and copyright protection, and state-specific laws protecting a person's name, image, and likeness.—
Neil J. Rubenking,
PC Magazine,
2 May 2025
Adjective
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The deportation of Venezuelan men to a hellish mega-prison in El Salvador, on the questionable suspicion of gang affiliations, based on the presence of tattoos: flowers, a soccer logo, an autism-awareness ribbon.—
Jia Tolentino,
New Yorker,
3 May 2025
-
Or couldn’t, thanks in part to questionable player usage by coach Jim Hiller.—
Eric Stephens,
New York Times,
3 May 2025
Adjective
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And the staff lined up just to say goodbye / Tiny tear in his shifty little eye.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Apr. 2025
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That blandness has gone hand in hand with a shifty political opportunism, marked by half-hearted representational milestones—Ariel is Black!—
Justin Chang,
The New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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But in a twist of fate, his estranged grandfather, the notorious outlaw Harland Rust (Baldwin), breaks him out of jail, and the two flee to Mexico.—
Jessica Wang,
EW.com,
3 May 2025
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In a twist of fate, his estranged grandfather, the notorious outlaw Harland Rust (Baldwin), breaks him out of jail and takes him on the run toward Mexico.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
2 May 2025
Adjective
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In a shadowy forest of eastern Thailand, a mother tiger moved through the trees with her three cubs running around her paws.—
Aspen Pflughoeft,
Miami Herald,
30 Apr. 2025
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Fine details of fur and bark are clearly visible both in sunlight and under shade, with the mini-LED backlight keeping the sunny parts of the frame bright and the shadowy parts dark.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The Act provides market players and investors additional mechanisms and avenues to seek redress and curb fraudulent digital asset activities.—
Abubakar Nur Khalil,
Forbes.com,
1 May 2025
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The artificial intelligence PayPal uses to flag potentially fraudulent purchases can’t read your mind — at least, not yet.—
Christopher Elliott, King Features Syndicate,
Mercury News,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Mary’s fixation on commemorating James’ dubious talents.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
2 May 2025
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Together, these studies indicate that boys may be especially sensitive to the quality of early caregiving—an argument to both increase social support for families and resist dubious assumptions that boys do not require substantial affectionate nurturing.—
Joshua Coleman,
The Atlantic,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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All Fair remembers of that dark time in her life was having ongoing headaches, throwing up and struggling with her balance.—
Deborah Laverty,
Chicago Tribune,
10 May 2025
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Large amounts of larvae were in dark crevices inside the homes, including under appliances or furniture.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
10 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shady.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shady. Accessed 15 May. 2025.
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