Meaning & Definition of Shade in English

1. Relative darkness caused by light rays being intercepted by an opaque body

• "It is much cooler in the shade"

• "There's too much shadiness to take good photographs"

2. A quality of a given color that differs slightly from another color

• "After several trials he mixed the shade of pink that she wanted"

3. Protective covering that protects something from direct sunlight

• "They used umbrellas as shades"

• "As the sun moved he readjusted the shade"

4. A subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude

• "Without understanding the finer nuances you can't enjoy the humor"

• "Don't argue about shades of meaning"

5. A position of relative inferiority

• "An achievement that puts everything else in the shade"

• "His brother's success left him in the shade"

6. A slight amount or degree of difference

• "A tad too expensive"

• "Not a tad of difference"

• "The new model is a shade better than the old one"

7. A mental representation of some haunting experience

• "He looked like he had seen a ghost"

• "It aroused specters from his past"

8. A representation of the effect of shadows in a picture or drawing (as by shading or darker pigment)

1. Cast a shadow over

2. Represent the effect of shade or shadow on

3. Protect from light, heat, or view

• "Shade your eyes when you step out into the bright sunlight"

4. Vary slightly

• "Shade the meaning"

5. Pass from one quality such as color to another by a slight degree

• "The butterfly wings shade to yellow"