Synonyms for shady
- adjective
Most common
suspicious questionable sleazy seedy shaded shadowy sheltered
Synonyms by meaning
Adjective
1. Corrupt — not trustworthy; disreputable
corrupt, questionable, suspicious, sleazy, seedy, dodgy informal, dishonest, equivocal, dubious, sketchy, doubtful
2. Shadowy
shadowy, dark, shaded, obscure, gloomy, shadowed, dusky, somber US, sombre UK, umbrageous, murky, unilluminated
Other
sheltered, dishonorable US, dishonourable UK
Definitions
- adj. 1
Not trustworthy; disreputable.
- adj. 2
Abounding in shades.
- adj. 3
Causing shade.
Related words
- Word family
- shadiness
Choose the right word
That is obscure, shadowy, or shady from which the light is more or less cut off.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- suspicious A policeman was gazing at a suspicious pedestrian.
- questionable There are many questionable points in this ledger.
- sleazy Tom's a sleazy letch, and he gives Mary the creeps.
- seedy Tom and Mary live in a seedy rundown neighbourhood.
- shaded Yanni wants to park his car in a shaded area.
- shadowy Kalman saw a shadowy figure lurking in the dark.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| shady | rising | |
| suspicious | rising | |
| questionable | falling | |
| sleazy | rising | |
| seedy | rising | |
| shaded | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 4 letters
- dark1
- 5 letters
- funny2, dodgy, fishy2, murky2, seedy2, dusky
- 6 letters
- gloomy2, shaded2, sleazy2, somber2, sombre
- 7 letters
- suspect2, corrupt2, obscure2, dubious3, sketchy2, shadowy3
- 8 letters
- doubtful2, shadowed2
- 9 letters
- dishonest3, sheltered2, equivocal4
- 10 letters
- suspicious3, umbrageous
- 12 letters
- questionable4, dishonorable5
- 13 letters
- dishonourable, unilluminated
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (funny2 = 2 syllables).