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shady

adjective

ˈshā-dē How to pronounce shady (audio)
Definition of shadynext
1
as in shaded
protected from the sun's rays a lovely shady spot in the park that was pleasantly cool

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2
as in deceptive
given to or marked by cheating and deception a shady business deal

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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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5
as in notorious
not respectable a courtesan who lived on the shady fringe of society

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shady Festival organizers remind fans to keep themselves hydrated and to utilize cool, shady areas throughout the day to lower body temperatures. — Ruby Grisin, Louisville Courier Journal, 18 Sep. 2026 Beyond the shimmying visit, the mystery of who killed Victor is expected to motor the sophomore season’s overarching storyline, including digging into people from the corrupt politician’s shady past. — Emily Krauser, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2026 Danger lurked in the shady groves of avocado trees that stretched on the mountainsides as far as the eye could see. — Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026 These leafy plants do well in the ground and in containers, especially in your shady corners where other plants won’t thrive. — Annie Burdick, The Spruce, 2 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for shady
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shady
  1. shaded
  2. deceptive
  3. questionable
  4. shifty
  5. notorious
  6. shadowy
  7. fraudulent
  8. dubious
Adjective
  • The balloting was marred by violence and irregularities, including a deadly shooting, a bomb blast and pre-shaded ballots that force delayed voting in dozens of precincts.
    — Teresa Cerojano, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Meanwhile, the town of Maluso on Basilan Island was put under the control of the Commission on Elections after pre-shaded ballots were found in 36 out of 68 precincts.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Sep. 2026
Definition of shaded
Adjective
  • That’s why Meta has agreed to pay up to eighteen billion dollars as part of a settlement over predatory and deceptive practices, and why Anthropic is paying writers and publishers (admittedly, pennies) in a copyright settlement.
    — Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Some states have enacted laws requiring disclosures or restricting deceptive political deepfakes near elections.
    — Reed Williams, AJC.com, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of deceptive
Adjective
  • The third-year receiver was questionable coming into Sunday with an ankle injury.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 27 Sep. 2026
  • After initially being ruled as questionable, he was soon downgraded to out near the start of the third quarter.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of questionable
Adjective
  • And by the way, with how shifty rookie Emmett Johnson has been at this level, Kansas City may quietly have one of the league’s best one-two punches.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026
  • In that section, gruesome murders have spooked what few locals there are, and the boy, Caleb (Atticus Affleck), has a shifty, older-than-his years air about him that makes farmer Emmett (Scoot McNairy) quite unsettled.
    — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of shifty
Adjective
  • The former executive was jailed at the notorious Riker’s Island jail complex in New York at the time of the interview.
    — Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Researching religious-art theft, Gurrea came across Erik the Belgian, a notorious thief who targeted churches across Spain during the 20th century.
    — Callum McLennan, Variety, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of notorious
Adjective
  • The series follows Yusuke Nogi, a Japanese trading company employee drawn into an international conspiracy tied to a shadowy government intelligence unit known as Beppan.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Today, as described in a recent analysis in Foreign Affairs, the Houthis are harnessing diversified supply chains and shadowy financial networks while building up domestic production capacity.
    — April Longley Alley, Foreign Affairs, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of shadowy
Adjective
  • But in the Epsilon case, the Department of Justice (DOJ) showed how that label was being used inside a business unit that worked with fraudulent clients.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026
  • The city alleges the nonprofit obtained a state grant through a fraudulent application and failed to properly notify officials or meet community-engagement requirements.
    — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of fraudulent
Adjective
  • But what really makes Walker’s story all the more surreal-special are the twists that made his football future appear dubious.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The movie is a comic and affectionate portrait of a quixotic if mathematically dubious dream.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of dubious

Browse Nearby Words

shadowy
shady
shaft
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Cite this Entry

“Shady.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shady. Accessed 30 Sep. 2026.

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