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shade - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'shade' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Shade [ n.]
- Comparative obscurity owing to interception or interruption of the rays of light; partial darkness caused by the intervention of something between the space contemplated and the source of light.
- Darkness; obscurity; -- often in the plural.
- An obscure place; a spot not exposed to light; hence, a secluded retreat.
- That which intercepts, or shelters from, light or the direct rays of the sun; hence, also, that which protects from heat or currents of air; a screen; protection; shelter; cover; as, a lamp shade.
- Shadow.
- The soul after its separation from the body; -- so called because the ancients it to be perceptible to the sight, though not to the touch; a spirit; a ghost; as, the shades of departed heroes.
- The darker portion of a picture; a less illuminated part. See Def. 1, above.
- Degree or variation of color, as darker or lighter, stronger or paler; as, a delicate shade of pink.
- A minute difference or variation, as of thought, belief, expression, etc.; also, the quality or degree of anything which is distinguished from others similar by slight differences; as, the shades of meaning in synonyms.
2 . Shade [ v. t.]
- To shelter or screen by intercepting the rays of light; to keep off illumination from.
- To shelter; to cover from injury; to protect; to screen; to hide; as, to shade one's eyes.
- To obscure; to dim the brightness of.
- To pain in obscure colors; to darken.
- To mark with gradations of light or color.
- To present a shadow or image of; to shadow forth; to represent.

Meaning of 'shade' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . shade [ n]
Meaning (1):
- a slight amount or degree of difference
Example in sentence:
  • a tad too expensive;
  • not a tad of difference;
  • the new model is a shade better than the old one
Meaning (2):
- a quality of a given color that differs slightly from another color
Example in sentence:
  • after several trials he mixed the shade of pink that she wanted
Meaning (3):
- a position of relative inferiority
Example in sentence:
  • an achievement that puts everything else in the shade;
  • his brother's success left him in the shade
Meaning (4):
- protective covering that protects something from direct sunlight
Example in sentence:
  • as the sun moved he readjusted the shade;
  • they used umbrellas as shades
Meaning (5):
- a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude
Example in sentence:
  • don't argue about shades of meaning;
  • without understanding the finer nuances you can't enjoy the humor
Meaning (6):
- a mental representation of some haunting experience
Example in sentence:
  • he looked like he had seen a ghost;
  • it aroused specters from his past
Meaning (7):
- relative darkness caused by light rays being intercepted by an opaque body
Example in sentence:
  • it is much cooler in the shade;
  • there's too much shadiness to take good photographs
8 . shade [ v]
Meaning (8):
- vary slightly
Example in sentence:
  • shade the meaning
Meaning (9):
- protect from light, heat, or view
Example in sentence:
  • Shade your eyes when you step out into the bright sunlight
Meaning (10):
- pass from one quality such as color to another by a slight degree
Example in sentence:
  • the butterfly wings shade to yellow

Nearby Words:

shab shabbed shabbily shabbiness shabbing shabble shabby shabrack shack shackatory

See 'shade' also in:

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Related Definitions

  • Sunshade
    Sunshade is a removable or retractable device that limits or prevents light from passing through a vehicles window.

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