VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

shady

adjective·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈʃeɪdi/
US/ˈʃeɪdi/

Meanings

  1. adjectivecomparable

    Protected from direct sunlight, or giving shelter from it, because of trees or other cover.

    Grammar: Can come before a noun (a shady spot) or after be (the garden is shady).

    Patterns

    • a shady spot
    • shady trees

    We found a shady spot under the oak to eat lunch.

    The garden is shady in the afternoon.

    A shady path led down to the river.

  2. adjectivecomparableinformaldisapproving

    Seeming dishonest, illegal or suspicious in the way someone behaves or does business.

    Grammar: Comes before a noun or after a linking verb; usually used about people, deals or places.

    Patterns

    • a shady deal
    • shady dealings

    I would not trust a shady dealer who refuses to give a receipt.

    The company was involved in some shady business deals.

    He has a shady past that nobody wants to discuss.

Word forms

comparativeshadier
superlativeshadiest

Common combinations

shady character
A shady character was hanging around the car park.
shady deal
The mayor was linked to a shady deal over land.
shady spot
The dog lay down in a shady spot.
shady past
The new owner has a shady past.
shady business
Shady business practices cost the firm its license.

Synonyms and how they differ

dodgy
Dodgy is British and informal, and it can mean unreliable or risky as well as dishonest.
suspicious
Suspicious is neutral and may describe your own feelings of doubt, while shady describes the thing that causes the doubt.
shaded
Shaded describes a place that has been protected from light, and it never carries the dishonest meaning.
crooked
Crooked is stronger and means actually criminal, whereas shady only hints at it.

Opposites

honestsunny

Word family

shade noun
an area sheltered from direct sunlight
shadiness noun
the quality of being dishonest or shaded
shadow noun
a dark shape caused by blocking light
shadily adverb
in a suspicious or dishonest way

Commonly confused: shady or shaded?

shady vs shaded

Shaded means given shade or darkened by shading; it is not used for dishonest dealings.

Practice

The used-car salesman refused to show us any paperwork, which seemed rather ___.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “shady”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words