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Meaning & use

shades

noun, interjection·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ʃeɪdz/
US/ʃeɪdz/

Meanings

  1. nounpluralinformal

    Dark glasses worn to protect the eyes from bright sun, or simply to look fashionable.

    Grammar: Always plural in this sense, with a plural verb: my shades are in the car.

    Patterns

    • a pair of shades
    • put on your shades

    He slid on his shades as soon as we stepped out of the airport.

    Can you see my shades anywhere? The glare is awful.

    She wore oversized shades and a floppy hat on the beach.

  2. nounplural

    Different versions of one colour, made lighter or darker, or different varieties of an opinion or quality.

    Grammar: Plural of shade, often with of: shades of green, shades of opinion.

    Patterns

    • shades of something
    • in all shades of something

    The paint comes in forty shades of white, which made choosing hard.

    The sunset faded through shades of orange and pink.

    There are many shades of opinion within the party.

  3. interjectionfixed phraseinformalhumorous

    Said when something reminds you of an earlier person, event or thing, usually with a smile.

    Grammar: Used at the start of a remark, followed by of: Shades of my old school!

    Patterns

    • shades of something

    Shades of the 1990s! I haven't seen a pager in years.

    Your handwriting looks just like Grandpa's. Shades of the old days.

    Shades of my first job, when we all shared one computer.

Word forms

singularshade

Common combinations

wear shades
He insisted on wearing shades even on a cloudy day.
a pair of shades
I left a pair of shades on the train.
shades of grey
The room was painted in soft shades of grey.
pastel shades
The baby's room is decorated in pastel shades.
different shades of meaning
Translators must handle the different shades of meaning in a poem.
shades of the past
The old radio was shades of the past for my parents.

Synonyms and how they differ

sunglasses
It is the neutral, standard term, while shades sounds relaxed and a little cool.
tints
It refers to a light wash of colour and sounds more technical than shades of colour.
hues
It is more literary and refers to the basic colour itself rather than how light or dark it is.
variations
It is a general word with no link to colour, so it fits opinions and styles better.

Word family

shade noun
a shaded area, or a darkness of colour
shade verb
to protect from light or to darken in a drawing
shady adjective
giving shade, or of doubtful honesty
shading noun
darker areas in a drawing
sunshade noun
an umbrella or cover against the sun

Commonly confused: shades or shadows?

shades vs shadows

Shadows are dark shapes made when light is blocked, while shades are colour variations or sunglasses.

Practice

The living room walls were painted in several pale ____ of blue.

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