shifty

adjective

ˈshif-tē How to pronounce shifty (audio)
Definition of shiftynext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 shifty The shifty guard has grown into one of the NBA's most effective scorers and playmakers, increasing his scoring average in every season of his five-year career. — CBS News, 24 June 2026 It’s been a big offseason for the dynamic receiver, a shifty route runner who’s not the biggest guy, at 6-foot and165 pounds, but his ball skills are elite. — Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 June 2026 Catalina suffers from an unspecified mental disability, which Saavedra, who is not handicapped, performs in an arguably inappropriate register of fidgety hands and shifty-eyed glances. — Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 16 May 2026 Wiggins wears a shifty bowler hat and takes notes on Jol and Louisa, then reports back to Frances. — Alice Burton, Vulture, 20 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for shifty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shifty
  1. shady
  2. deceptive
  3. sneaky
  4. fraudulent
  5. crooked
  6. dishonest
Adjective
  • Finally, the jury would be instructed that OpenAI deleted billions of logs, which would play into news plaintiffs’ narrative that OpenAI has been moving in shady ways to obscure alleged substitution in the market since the case began.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 9 July 2026
  • Tiffany Haddish is reacting to the White House’s shady response to one of her Jimmy Kimmel Live punchlines.
    — Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 9 July 2026
Definition of shady
Adjective
  • The state agency said clinic staffers had clients sign a personal injury waiver, which the commission said was unenforceable, against public policy and deceptive and dishonest.
    — Ashley Hiruko, ProPublica, 8 July 2026
  • Bartůňková and Krejčíková share finesse in the front of the court as well as deceptive power, with Bartůňková’s excellent spot-serving giving her a platform and Krejčíková’s ability to change rhythm at will trying to destabilize it.
    — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 2 July 2026
Definition of deceptive
Adjective
  • However, a sneaky trick when using these patterns is to add a small split shot about a foot up your leader from the fly.
    — Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 9 July 2026
  • This delicious, hearty pizza has Italian sausage and a super-sneaky sauce hack.
    — Jasmine Thompson, Midwest Living, 2 July 2026
Definition of sneaky
Adjective
  • One plaintiff claimed their debit card was hit with $80 in fraudulent charges.
    — Chase Jordan July 7, Charlotte Observer, 7 July 2026
  • Anthropic published a report in February claiming other Chinese firms DeepSeek, Moonshot, and MiniMax generated 16 million exchanges with Claude through approximately 24,000 fraudulent accounts.
    — Harry Booth, Time, 7 July 2026
Definition of fraudulent
Adjective
  • Trump even played to this history in appealing for Balogun’s reinstatement, implying (without evidence) that the referee who made the call was crooked.
    — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 6 July 2026
  • Better known among seasoned riders as the Triple Nickel, the route makes for one of the most crooked roads in the Midwest, if not the country.
    — Condé Nast Traveler, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 July 2026
Definition of crooked
Adjective
  • There is no industry-standard pricing for tax relief, which is one reason why taxpayers can sometimes fall victim to overpriced or dishonest tax relief scams.
    — Nick Perry, USA Today, 6 July 2026
  • For millions of individuals and businesses who rely on professional preparers, the answer portends a frightening prospect if the return preparer is dishonest.
    — Virginia La Torre Jeker, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of dishonest

Browse Nearby Words

shifts
shifty
shigellosis
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Cite this Entry

“Shifty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shifty. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of shifty for Spanish Speakers

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