1
as in shady
given to acting in secret and to concealing one's intentions
shifty politicians making deals to channel federal funds into their districts
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in deceptive
given to or marked by cheating and deception
shifty practices such as turning back the odometers on used cars
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shifty
Houston was simply without an answer for the electric, shifty guard who punished each and every defender that was put in his crosshairs.
—
Kelly Iko, The Athletic, 18 Mar. 2025
Rocking a New Jersey accent as Joyce’s friend Cynthia, Moore gives a shifty performance that’s key to the success of this twisty non-linear mystery.
—Katie Rife, EW.com, 2 Mar. 2025
Occult pyrotechnics and bloody business of all kinds are not allowed to obscure the interior shifts of the shifty Macbeths.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2025
Pritchard is shifty and swaggering, with a quick release and a smooth pump fake.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, The Athletic, 23 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shifty
Kelly Iko, The Athletic, 18 Mar. 2025
Rocking a New Jersey accent as Joyce’s friend Cynthia, Moore gives a shifty performance that’s key to the success of this twisty non-linear mystery.
—Katie Rife, EW.com, 2 Mar. 2025
Occult pyrotechnics and bloody business of all kinds are not allowed to obscure the interior shifts of the shifty Macbeths.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2025
Pritchard is shifty and swaggering, with a quick release and a smooth pump fake.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, The Athletic, 23 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shifty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shifty
Adjective
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Patti LuPone had a shady reaction to questions about Audra McDonald in a new interview.—
Joey Nolfi Published,
EW.com,
27 May 2025
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Backpack-wearing college students dart across crosswalks, coffee in hand, while neighbors stroll shady sidewalks leading pups on leashes.—
Nicole Letts,
Southern Living,
26 May 2025
Adjective
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During the defense’s cross-examination of Kid Cudi, lawyers representing Combs portrayed Ventura as deceptive of both men.—
Conor Murray,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2025
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California’s attorney general, Rob Bonta, filed a suit against ExxonMobil last year that, in part, accuses the oil giant of deceptive claims regarding chemical recycling, which the company disputes.—
Susanne Rust,
Los Angeles Times,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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Upgrade to some new bags that hold a sneaky amount of stuff and look great doing it.—
Sara Coughlin,
SELF,
19 May 2025
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From sneaky ways to get her grandkids outside to turning tiny household tasks into exciting activities, here are the nostalgic summer things your Southern grandma would use to entertain and delight on a trip to her house.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
17 May 2025
Adjective
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On May 30, 2025, a Pennsylvania federal court refused NFL player agent Todd France’s request to vacate a December 2023 arbitration decision which ordered France to pay over $800,000 in damages to rival agent Jason Bernstein and which excoriated France for fraudulent conduct.—
Chris Deubert,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2025
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The couple were convicted of conspiring to defraud community banks out of more than $30 million in fraudulent loans as well as tax evasion and sentenced to 12 and seven years, respectively.—
Brie Stimson,
FOXNews.com,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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Among them is Tonic, which stars Blair (Sin City: A Dame to Kill For) as Sebastian Poe, a struggling jazz pianist who is given 24 hours to kill a dangerous drug dealer (Westwick) by a crooked cop (Jaso Coviello), and spirals into a moral and emotional tailspin.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
15 May 2025
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Cigarette smoke, dames to kill for, crooked cops — latex super suit?—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
13 May 2025
Adjective
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Harvard’s dishonest expert on honesty is a poignant symbol of a far larger problem in academia: ideological allegiance replacing the quest for truth.—
Andrew Follett,
National Review,
31 May 2025
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On one hand, the inquiry appeared to play into his rivals’ criticisms of Mr. Cuomo as a dishonest broker, who has been accused of putting nursing home residents at risk during the coronavirus pandemic and seeking to cover it up.—
Nicholas Fandos,
New York Times,
21 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shifty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shifty. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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