Word forms: comparative shadier, superlative shadiest
1. adjective
You can describe a place as shady when you like the fact that it is sheltered from bright sunlight, for example by trees or buildings.
After flowering, place the pot in a shady spot in the garden.
The rooms are admirably cool and shady after the hot brown monotony of the countryside.
Synonyms: shaded, cool, shadowy, dim More Synonyms of shady
2. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
Shady trees provide a lot of shade.
Clara had been reading in a lounge chair under a shady tree.
3. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
You can describe activities as shady when you think that they might be dishonest or illegal. You can also use shady to describe people who are involved in such activities.
[disapproval]
The company was notorious for shady deals.
Joseph watched a shady-looking bunch playing cards aboard a Mississippi steamer.
More Synonyms of shady
shady in British English
(ˈʃeɪdɪ)
adjectiveWord forms: shadier or shadiest
1.
full of shade; shaded
2.
affording or casting a shade
3.
dim, quiet, or concealed
4. informal
dubious or questionable as to honesty or legality
Derived forms
shadily (ˈshadily)
adverb
shadiness (ˈshadiness)
noun
shady in American English
(ˈʃeɪdi)
adjectiveWord forms: ˈshadier or ˈshadiest
1.
giving shade
2.
shaded, as from the sun; full of shade
3.
of darkness, secrecy, or concealment
4. Informal
of questionable character or honesty
Idioms:
on the shady side of
Examples of 'shady' in a sentence
shady
Turning a shady garden into an asset is simple once you face up to reality.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
We are now sitting under a shady tree having lunch.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
You can save money by digging out moss from a shady spot in your garden.
The Sun (2015)
They can work well in thin beds in a shady front garden.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
It is happiest in shady or woodland spots.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Ideal for a shady courtyard garden and gardens that are viewed from above.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Choose a shady spot if away for a week or more.
The Sun (2009)
Are there gaps in a shady spot that need filling?
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
If he refuses, she will make public his shady past and ruin him.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
It needs a cool, shady spot in summer.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
They are a pretty shady bunch, if you ask me.
The Sun (2010)
Like a couple of shady characters knocking around the port in Nice.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
HERE'S a couple of shady characters - but this artwork is not what it seems.
The Sun (2010)
Narrow town gardens are often shady in places, so lawns will struggle.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
A patchy or missing service history may point to a shady past life and should be avoided.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
I think he is a shady character.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
A shady and fragrant garden welcomes the walker.
Bachmann, Susan (editor) & Barth, Melinda Between Worlds: A Reader, Rhetoric and Handbook (1995)
But you don't need to approach a shady character in the gloom of a bar to get a fix.
The Sun (2010)
A cool, shady porch would be ideal.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The US military admits that some of the recruits have shady pasts.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Her husband is running for mayor, so he's busy covering up a shady past.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The best solution is to prepare the cuttings, then leave them in a cool, shady place for half an hour.
The Sun (2015)
He's a rich and decidedly shady businessman with a troublesome daughter, and is delighted to be claimed by his lost son.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
In other languages
shady
British English: shady ADJECTIVE
You can describe a place as shady when you like the fact that it is sheltered from bright sunlight, for example by trees or buildings.
After flowering, place the pot in a shady spot in the garden.
American English: shady
Brazilian Portuguese: à sombra
Chinese: 阴凉的
European Spanish: sombreado
French: ombragé
German: schattig
Italian: riparato dal sole
Japanese: 日陰の
Korean: 그늘진
European Portuguese: à sombra
Latin American Spanish: sombreado
Chinese translation of 'shady'
shady
(ˈʃeɪdɪ)
adj
[place]背阴(陰)的 (bèiyīn de)
[tree]成荫(蔭)的 (chéngyīn de)
(= dishonest)
[person]不正当(當)的 (bù zhèngdàng de)
[activity, deal]见(見)不得人的 (jiànbudé rén de)
1 (adjective)
Definition
giving or casting shade
After flowering, place the pot in a shady spot.
Synonyms
shaded
cool
I felt a current of cool air.
shadowy
I watched him from a shadowy corner.
dim
a dim February day
leafy
Our house was surrounded by tall leafy trees.
bowery
bosky (literary)
umbrageous
Opposites
bright
,
exposed
,
sunny
,
open
,
out in the open
,
sunlit
,
unshaded
2 (adjective)
Definition
of doubtful honesty or legality
(informal)
Be wary of people who try to talk you into shady deals.
Synonyms
crooked (informal)
She might expose his crooked business deals to the authorities.
dodgy (British, Australian, New Zealand, informal)
unethical
I thought it was unethical for doctors to operate upon family members.
suspect
Delegates evacuated the building when a suspect package was found.
suspicious
two suspicious-looking characters
dubious
dubious business dealings
slippery
questionable
The film is a comedy in highly questionable taste.
unscrupulous
These kids are being exploited by very unscrupulous people.
fishy (informal)
There seems to be something fishy going on.
shifty
He had a shifty face and previous convictions.
disreputable
the noisiest and most disreputable bars
untrustworthy
His opponents still say he's a fundamentally untrustworthy figure.
shonky (Australian, New Zealand, informal)
Opposites
straight
,
ethical
,
respectable
,
upright
,
honourable
,
honest
,
reputable
,
trustworthy
,
above-board
Additional synonyms
in the sense of cool
Definition
moderately cold
I felt a current of cool air.
Synonyms
cold,
chilled,
chilling,
refreshing,
chilly,
nippy,
coldish,
QL
in the sense of dim
Definition
lacking in brightness or lustre
a dim February day
Synonyms
cloudy,
grey,
gloomy,
dismal,
murky,
overcast,
leaden
in the sense of disreputable
Definition
having or causing a bad reputation
the noisiest and most disreputable bars
Synonyms
discreditable,
mean,
low,
base,
shocking,
disorderly,
notorious,
vicious,
infamous,
disgraceful,
shameful,
vile,
shady (informal),
scandalous,
ignominious,
contemptible,
louche,
unprincipled,
dishonourable,
opprobrious
Nearby words of
shady
shade
shadow
shadowy
shady
shaft
shag
shaggy
Synonyms of 'shady'
shady
Explore 'shady' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of dubious
Definition
of doubtful quality or worth
dubious business dealings
Synonyms
suspect,
suspicious,
crooked (informal),
dodgy (British, Australian, New Zealand, informal),
questionable,
unreliable,
shady (informal),
unscrupulous,
fishy (informal),
disreputable,
untrustworthy,
undependable
in the sense of fishy
Definition
suspicious or questionable
There seems to be something fishy going on.
Synonyms
suspicious,
odd,
suspect,
unlikely,
funny (informal),
doubtful,
dubious,
dodgy (British, Australian, New Zealand, informal),
queer,
rum (British, slang),
questionable,
improbable,
implausible,
cock-and-bull (informal),
shonky (Australian, New Zealand, informal)
in the sense of leafy
Definition
having many trees or shrubs
Our house was surrounded by tall leafy trees.
Synonyms
green,
leaved,
leafed,
shaded,
shady,
summery,
verdant (literary),
bosky (literary),
springlike,
in foliage
in the sense of questionable
Definition
of disputable value or authority
The film is a comedy in highly questionable taste.
Synonyms
dubious,
suspect,
doubtful,
controversial,
uncertain,
suspicious,
dodgy (British, Australian, New Zealand, informal),
unreliable,
shady (informal),
debatable,
unproven,
fishy (informal),
moot,
arguable,
iffy (informal),
equivocal,
problematical,
disputable,
controvertible,
dubitable,
shonky (Australian, New Zealand, informal)
in the sense of shadowy
Definition
(of a place) full of shadows
I watched him from a shadowy corner.
Synonyms
dark,
shaded,
dim,
gloomy,
shady,
obscure,
murky,
dusky,
funereal,
crepuscular,
tenebrous,
tenebrious
in the sense of shifty
Definition
looking deceitful and not to be trusted
He had a shifty face and previous convictions.
Synonyms
untrustworthy,
sly,
devious,
scheming,
tricky,
slippery,
contriving,
wily,
crafty,
evasive,
furtive,
deceitful,
underhand,
unprincipled,
duplicitous,
fly-by-night (informal)
in the sense of suspect
Definition
not to be trusted or relied upon
Delegates evacuated the building when a suspect package was found.
Synonyms
dubious,
doubtful,
dodgy (British, Australian, New Zealand, informal),
questionable,
fishy (informal),
iffy (informal),
open to suspicion,
shonky (Australian, New Zealand, informal)
in the sense of suspicious
Definition
causing one to suspect something is wrong
two suspicious-looking characters
Synonyms
suspect,
dubious,
questionable,
funny,
doubtful,
dodgy (British, Australian, New Zealand, informal),
queer (archaic),
irregular,
shady (informal),
fishy (informal),
of doubtful honesty,
open to doubt or misconstruction,
shonky (Australian, New Zealand, informal)
in the sense of unethical
Definition
morally wrong
I thought it was unethical for doctors to operate upon family members.
Synonyms
immoral,
wrong,
improper,
illegal,
dirty,
unfair,
shady (informal),
dishonest,
unscrupulous,
under-the-table,
unprofessional,
disreputable,
underhand,
unprincipled,
dishonourable,
not cricket (informal)
in the sense of unscrupulous
Definition
prepared to act in a dishonest or immoral manner
These kids are being exploited by very unscrupulous people.
Synonyms
unprincipled,
corrupt,
crooked (informal),
ruthless,
improper,
immoral,
dishonest,
unethical,
exploitative,
dishonourable,
roguish,
unconscionable,
knavish (archaic),
conscienceless,
unconscientious
Additional synonyms
in the sense of untrustworthy
Definition
unreliable and not able to be trusted
His opponents still say he's a fundamentally untrustworthy figure.