🌓 A slight difference 🌳 An area out of sun 🪟 A light cover ✋ To block light 🎨 A shadow area 🔄 To adjust slightly ✏️ To add shadow 👻 A haunting memory 😏 To insult indirectly

to shade

10 3.9

To change something a little to make it less strong

verb
/ʃeɪd/

: matizar

As she painted the sunset, she learned to shade the colors to make them blend beautifully.

Examples

That means I am going to shade above this line.
We are going to go shade darker right next door.
So I'm bringing it down and then I'm shading it down here.
Their skin colors were predominantly blue, often shading into violet or green.

Fiction book (1998)
Haplo's hair was brown on top, shading to white at the bottom.

Fiction book (1991)
Their approach has been to shade the estimate of damages downward from the fee value of the easements.

Academic text (2017)
His turban has been painted with subtle tones of gray and white and is shaded toward the back.

Academic text (2013)
To create depth in your painting, you should shade the areas next to the light source gradually.
He decided to shade his statement to avoid hurting her feelings with the harsh truth.

Synonyms

to touch

vsto shade

31 5.5

To add a small amount of color to something

is a more gradual adjustment instead of a single small addition

to tone

vsto shade

19 4.9

To change the color or shade of something

is about subtle gradual shifts rather than deliberate artistic coloring

to tinge

vsto shade

1 4.8

To add a small amount of color or feeling to something

is about steady small change rather than one quick addition

to tinct

vsto shade

Archaic

9.9

To give something a very light color

is a gradual subtle adjustment over time rather than a single addition

Idioms

in the shade

26 1.0

In a place protected from direct sun that is cooler

made in the shade

Informal

1 8.2

In a safe, easy situation needing little effort

Phrasal Verbs

to shade off

4.3

To make a place darker by blocking the light

Compounds

shade tree

4 2.2

A large tree that gives shade from the sun

window shade

3 2.0

A piece of material you pull down to block light or give privacy at a window

shade of red

1 4.2

A change in how red someone's face becomes when they feel embarrassed

melony shade

7.4

A pink-red color like the inside of a watermelon

noonday shade

5.2

A cool place out of the sun at midday, often under a tree

How Changed

to transform

523 3.4

to change

∞ 1.0

to modify

268 3.2

to adjust

317 2.7

to shade

10 3.9

tweak

28 3.9

Surface Forms

shade infinitive

shaded past

shaded past participle

shading present participle

shades third person singular

Etymology

Shade comes from an old English word sceadu meaning 'shadow'. To shade a meaning or tone is like giving it a little shadow — a small change that makes it softer or less direct.