Shady means dodgy, suspicious or dishonest: people use it about a person, deal, website or scheme they don't trust. The word is informal and disapproving; you hear it in conversation between friends, in texts and in reviews. In an email to a colleague or teacher, in an essay or in IELTS Speaking, suspicious or dishonest is better.
Could you drop shady into a text?
Write a short message — we'll show the mistakes right away and suggest how to say it more naturally.
The check is taking longer than usual. Your feedback will appear here automatically.
shady + person/deal/website; something shady about + noun; look/sound shady
- That website looks shady, I wouldn't enter my card details there.
- My landlord wants cash only and no contract. Sounds a bit shady to me.
- There's something shady about a guy selling a brand-new laptop that cheap.
What changed
First versionDear Mr Lee, this supplier's prices look shady, so I suggest we find another one.
RevisionDear Mr Lee, this supplier's prices look suspicious, so I suggest we find another one.
An email about a supplier's prices is work correspondence. Shady sounds too casual there for a business contact, as if you were calling the prices dodgy. Suspicious conveys the same doubt neutrally.
Literally, shady means full of shade: Let's find a shady spot under the trees for our picnic. The meaning dodgy appears when it's about people, business and money: a shady deal. Don't confuse it with the noun shadow: a person or a deal is shady, not shadow.
Your turn
The seller wants cash only, won't give a receipt and refuses to tell me his surname. The whole thing looks ___.
Show the answer
shady — Cash only, no receipt and a seller who hides his surname all look dishonest, so shady. Shadow is a noun, and after looks you need an adjective; a native speaker would never say shadow here.
Text a friend explaining why a flat-rental ad made you suspicious. Mention at least one specific detail.
That flat ad looks shady: the rent is half the usual price and they want a deposit before any viewing.
Learn to use new words without mistakes
Write phrases with the words you are learning. LetsWords shows mistakes in usage and grammar, suggests corrections and explains them, and review helps the words stick.