Shade — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /ˈshād/

Meaning & Definition of Shade

Shade (noun)

  1. comparative darkness or obscurity produced when something blocks the light of the sun
  2. relative obscurity or retirement
  3. shelter (as by foliage) from the heat and glare of sunlight; also, a place sheltered from the sun

Shade (verb)

  1. to shelter or screen by intercepting radiated light or heat
  2. to cover with a shade
  3. to hide partly by or as if by a shadow

Shade (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. partial darkness due to the obstruction of light rays

    "it was hard to see in the shade after being in the brilliant sunlight"

    "the trees cast shade"

    similar: dusk, penumbra, shadiness, shadow, umbra
    related: blackness, dimness, duskiness, gloom, gloominess, murkiness, obscurity, semidarkness, somberness, cloudiness
    near: brightness, brilliance, effulgence, illumination, incandescence, light, lightness, lucidity, lucidness, luminance, luminosity, luminousness, radiance, radiancy

  2. a time or place of little or no light

    "enjoying the cool shade of the evening"

    similar: black, blackness, candlelight, dark, darkness, dusk, gloaming, gloom, murk, night, semidarkness, shadows, twilight, umbra
    related: midnight, blackout, brownout, dimout, shadiness, umbrage, dullness, somberness, cloudiness, fogginess, haziness, mistiness, murkiness, dimness, faintness, gloominess, grayness, paleness, half-light
    opposite: blaze, brightness, brilliance, day, daylight, glare, glow, light, lightness
    near: moonlight, starlight, sunlight, effulgence, radiance, radiancy, shine, sunshine, incandescence, luminance, luminescence, luminosity, luminousness

  3. a property that becomes apparent when light falls on an object and by which things that are identical in form can be distinguished

    "a lovely shade of blue"

    similar: cast, color, hue, tincture, tinge, tint, tone
    related: overtone, undertone, primary color, secondary color, tertiary color, brightness, chroma, chromaticity, contrast, lightness, saturation, value, coloration, coloring, colorway, pigmentation
    near: achromatism

  4. a very small amount

    "just a shade taller than his dance partner"

    similar: ace, bit, crumb, dab, dram, driblet, glimmer, hint, lick, little, mite, nip, ounce, particle, peanuts, ray, scintilla, scruple, shadow, shred, skosh, smack, smell, smidgen, snap, soupçon, spark, spatter, speck, splash, spot, sprinkling, strain, streak, suspicion, tad, touch, trace, drop in the bucket
    related: hoot, iota, jot, minim, minimum, modicum, semblance, syllable, tittle, vestige, whit, atom, dot, fleck, flyspeck, grain, granule, molecule, morsel, mote, nubbin, patch, scrap, dash, drop, pinch, part, portion, section, bite, nibble, taste, handful, scattering, smatter, smattering, dose, shot, chip, flake, fragment, shard, shiver, sliver, smithereens, splinter, tatter, clipping, paring, shaving
    near: abundance, barrel, boatload, bucket, bundle, bushel, deal, fistful, gobs, heaps, lashings (chiefly British), loads, lot, mass, mess, mountain, much, oodles, passel, peck, pile, plenty, potful, profusion, quantity, raft, reams, scads, stack, wad, wealth, volume, bonanza, embarrassment, excess, overabundance, overage, overflow, overkill, overmuch, oversupply, superabundance, superfluity, surfeit, surplus, chunk, hunk, lump, slab

  5. the soul of a dead person thought of especially as appearing to living people

    "spirits and shades haunting the night"

    similar: apparition, bogey, familiar spirit, ghost, hant (dialect), haunt (chiefly dialect), materialization, phantasm, phantom, poltergeist, shadow, specter, spirit, spook, sprite, vision, visitant, wraith
    related: angel, daimon, familiar, genie, genius, jinni, shaitan, double, doppelgänger, fetch, lemures, manes, incubus, lamia, succubus, vampire, zombie, cacodemon, demon, devil, fiend, ghoul, imp

Shade (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to shelter (something) from light and heat

    "the trees shaded us quite nicely from the noonday sun"

    similar: shadow
    related: cloud, darken, dim, dull, overcast, overshadow, canopy, cover, protect, screen
    near: illuminate, light, lighten, expose

Related Entry: Window shade (noun)

Window shade is a different word from Shade. The synonyms below are for window shade, not for shade.

  1. as in shade, tapestry

    similar: hanging(s), shade, tapestry, curtain, drapery, drapes

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Shade

The most common words with a similar meaning to Shade:

Dialect: hant
Chiefly dialect: haunt
dusk, penumbra, shadiness, shadow, umbra, black, blackness, candlelight, dark, darkness, gloaming, gloom, murk, night, semidarkness, shadows, twilight, cast, color, hue, tincture, tinge, tint, tone, ace, bit, crumb, dab, dram, driblet, glimmer, hint, lick, little, mite, nip, ounce, particle, peanuts, ray

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Shade

Words with the opposite meaning of Shade:

blaze, brightness, brilliance, day, daylight, glare, glow, light, lightness

Related Words for Shade

dimness, duskiness, gloominess, murkiness, obscurity, somberness, cloudiness, midnight, blackout, brownout, dimout, umbrage, dullness, fogginess, haziness, mistiness, faintness, grayness, paleness, half-light, overtone, undertone, primary color, secondary color, tertiary color, brightness, chroma, chromaticity, contrast, lightness

Near Antonyms of Shade

effulgence, illumination, incandescence, lucidity, lucidness, luminance, luminosity, luminousness, radiance, radiancy, moonlight, starlight, sunlight, shine, sunshine, luminescence, achromatism, abundance, barrel, boatload, bucket, bundle, bushel, deal, fistful, gobs, heaps, lashings, loads, lot

Word Forms of Shade

Inflections: shades, shaded, shading

Derived words: shadeless (adjective), shader (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Shade

Middle English, from Old English sceadu; akin to Old High German scato shadow, Greek skotos darkness

First known use: before 12th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Shade

Words & Phrases Containing Shade

shade-grown, shade tree, shade into, Roman shade, throw shade, window shade, a shade, have it made in the shade

Frequently Asked Questions about Shade

What does "Shade" mean?

"Shade" means comparative darkness or obscurity produced when something blocks the light of the sun. As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: comparative darkness or obscurity produced when something blocks the light of the sun. It has 6 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Shade"?

Other words for "Shade" include dusk, penumbra, shadiness, shadow, umbra, black, blackness and candlelight. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Shade" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Shade"?

There are 198 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Shade". Common alternatives include dusk, penumbra, shadiness, shadow, umbra, black, blackness, candlelight, dark and darkness.

What is the opposite of "Shade"?

Antonyms of "Shade" include blaze, brightness, brilliance, day, daylight, glare, glow and light. Near antonyms include effulgence, illumination, incandescence and lucidity.

How do you use "Shade" in a sentence?

Examples of "Shade" in a sentence: "it was hard to see in the shade after being in the brilliant sunlight"; "the trees cast shade"; "enjoying the cool shade of the evening".

Is "Shade" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Shade" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Shade" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B2-level word, "Shade" is typical of Cambridge B2 First (FCE), IELTS band 5.5–6.5, TOEFL iBT 72–94, PTE Academic 59–75, TOEIC Listening & Reading 785+.

How do you pronounce "Shade"?

"Shade" is pronounced /ˈshād/.