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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in deceptive
given to or marked by cheating and deception
a shady business deal
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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shady
Max grows ever more anxious, Fontaine becomes increasingly impatient and the unwitting Walter starts to suspect that something shady is going on.
—
Joe Leydon, Variety, 5 Mar. 2025
The foyer flows into the expansive living room, which offers access to a private, shady front patio area.
—David Caraccio, Sacramento Bee, 1 Mar. 2025
Billy has lost everything, including his wife, his savings and his dreams thanks to shady entrepreneur Charles Hegel (Josh Brener) who hoodwinked him.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2025
In Reacher Season 3, which is new on Prime Video, Cassidy’s Agent Duffy recruits Reacher (Ritchson) to infiltrate the inner workings of a shady business magnate, Zachary Beck (Anthony Michael Hall), who is purportedly in the business of importing rugs.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shady
Joe Leydon, Variety, 5 Mar. 2025
The foyer flows into the expansive living room, which offers access to a private, shady front patio area.
—David Caraccio, Sacramento Bee, 1 Mar. 2025
Billy has lost everything, including his wife, his savings and his dreams thanks to shady entrepreneur Charles Hegel (Josh Brener) who hoodwinked him.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2025
In Reacher Season 3, which is new on Prime Video, Cassidy’s Agent Duffy recruits Reacher (Ritchson) to infiltrate the inner workings of a shady business magnate, Zachary Beck (Anthony Michael Hall), who is purportedly in the business of importing rugs.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shady
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shady
Adjective
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False Hope And Fake Assurances Ransomware operators also exploit victims with false assurances, creating a deceptive sense of hope that there is a way to resolve the situation.—
Stu Sjouwerman,
Forbes,
10 Mar. 2025
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That’s the film’s greatest surprise, its secret deceptive pitch.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Kings forward Trey Lyles was cleared to play after being listed as questionable with lower back soreness.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacramento Bee,
18 Mar. 2025
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Jokic was listed as questionable for this game and won't play in this contest.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
18 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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After analyzing unsolved true crimes leads to massive popularity followed by a controversial downfall, Woo Sang attempts to reclaim his crown by tracking the notorious Hemline Serial Killer in real time — only to discover the killer has been watching his broadcast.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
17 Mar. 2025
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The fair was overseen by Robert Moses, the influential and notorious urban planner whose highway projects displaced hundreds of thousands New Yorkers.—
Taylor Nicioli,
CNN,
17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Whereas New York delivered practicality, London tapped into its punk roots and Milan served directional trends made for the runway, Paris offered leaned heavily on avant-garde silhouettes, textures and shadowy contrasts.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
12 Mar. 2025
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The Oversight Project suggested that Biden might not have signed these documents, alluding to a shadowy presence behind the former president.—
William Lambers,
Newsweek,
10 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Multiple users commented on Joann's latest post about fraudulent websites to criticize the chain's decision about gift cards.—
Taylor Ardrey,
USA TODAY,
19 Mar. 2025
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March 6 Check fraud: The City of Saratoga reported that someone attempted to access government funds with fraudulent checks.—
Anne Gelhaus,
The Mercury News,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Recent antagonism toward the government workforce, however, has targeted a particular type: the office-dweller, the laptop-user, the knowledge worker who is possibly remote, possibly dead, whose products are indeterminate and, therefore, of dubious value.—
Charlie Tyson,
The New Yorker,
15 Mar. 2025
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During his long television career, Oz's promotion of dubious health products has gotten him into hot water.—
Selena Simmons-Duffin,
NPR,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The outage was random and intermittent, lasting for 45 minutes at a time, then resuming only to go dark again for another 45 minutes.—
John Brandon,
Forbes,
11 Mar. 2025
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Boat Rocker’s slate currently comprises the likes of 1980s throwback dark comedy Video Nasty, drama series Mix Tape and Jesse Moss and Tony Gerber’s Sundance 2024 doc War Game.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
11 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shady.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shady. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
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