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Added 10 October 2026

shady

/ˈʃeɪdi/ adjective

In Latin: opācus Wiktionary

adjective Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about shady at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Quiet, dark, or concealed.
her shady past intrigued him
Not as expected.
there was something fishy about the accident
Of questionable honesty or legality.
He established a dummy company through which he laundered vast sums of cash from shady middlemen and arms dealers

Origin

From shade + -y. Compare Saterland Frisian skaadich, skaddich (“shady”), German schattig (“shady”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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