shadier; shadiest
1
: producing or affording shade
2
: sheltered from the sun's rays
3
a
: of questionable merit : uncertain, unreliable
b
Examples of shady in a Sentence
Their backyard is nice and shady.
I don't trust him. He seems like a pretty shady character.
Recent Examples on the Web
To his supporters, Trump is taking justifiable action over past shady behavior.
—
Niall Stanage, The Hill, 14 Mar. 2025
Ranchers left these small groups of trees to give their cattle shady spots to rest but cleared out much of the land to create pastures.
—Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2025
Desperate to make clear his intense dissatisfaction with how Beck’s operation is being run, McCabe — aka Xavier Quinn, a very big (and slightly amnesic) bad from Reacher’s past — had Paulie fetch Beck’s son Richard, who’d already lost an ear to his father’s shady alliances.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 13 Mar. 2025
Dark Winds returned with season three on Sunday and eagle-eyed viewers might have recognized two shady characters in Lt. Joe Leaphorn’s jail cell.
—Lisa De Los Reyes, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shady
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.
Niall Stanage, The Hill, 14 Mar. 2025
Ranchers left these small groups of trees to give their cattle shady spots to rest but cleared out much of the land to create pastures.
—Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2025
Desperate to make clear his intense dissatisfaction with how Beck’s operation is being run, McCabe — aka Xavier Quinn, a very big (and slightly amnesic) bad from Reacher’s past — had Paulie fetch Beck’s son Richard, who’d already lost an ear to his father’s shady alliances.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 13 Mar. 2025
Dark Winds returned with season three on Sunday and eagle-eyed viewers might have recognized two shady characters in Lt. Joe Leaphorn’s jail cell.
—Lisa De Los Reyes, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shady
Cite this Entry
“Shady.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shady. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shady
adjective
shadier; shadiest
1
: casting a shadow : giving shade
2
: sheltered from the sun's rays
a shady grove
3
: not right or honest
a shady business deal
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share