shifty
17
7.4
- adjective
- /ˈʃɪfti/
:
sospechoso
- From his enormous black moustache to his glittering, shifty eyes, Esterhazy is a caricature of the 'Behind you!' stage baddie.
- shifty eyes
So, you know, Foucault is being a little bit shifty here for his own purposes, I guess.
- So, you know, Foucault is being a little bit shifty here for his own purposes, I guess.
- And the other one is kind of shifty and untrustworthy or mysterious.
- He always had like the Sheriff of Nottingham look, you know, like shifty and really he's Little John.
- However, compartmentalization is not just about managing shifty moral behavior in a self-serving way.
- But it's always best in these blame shifty times not to engage or to engage minimally.
Examples
-
Half-breeds, for example, were thought of as being untrustworthy, shifty, idle, and physically inferior.
Academic text (2015) -
You're acting weird, with your shifty eyes and your sketchy posture.
-
I knew the moment I saw her shifty eyes that she had come to me with a purpose.
Fiction book (1997) -
You have a long face, and those glasses make you look shifty.
-
"No one has explored them," he said with a shifty smile.
Fiction book (1996) -
For a few moments, he holds his hands together in front of him, getting a shifty look in his eyes.
Fiction book (1995) -
I was terrified of lawyers because there are a lot of shifty lawyers out there.
Blog text (16) -
You know, he's got them shifty eyes.
-
Burnett walks over to Chet, the doorman, a shifty little guy who's always got his hand out.
Fiction book (1995) -
He gave a shifty smile that made me question his honesty.
Synonyms
128
2.5
Likely to lie or cheat to get something for yourself
101
4.4
Acting in a secret way to avoid being noticed or to get an advantage
79
5.5
Not honest and likely to do illegal things
66
7.8
Pretending to be honest by hiding what you know
62
5.3
Appearing true but making someone believe something that is not true
62
9.9
A person who lies or says things that are not true
51
6.4
Acting in a dishonest or tricky way to get what you want
50
4.4
Seeming dishonest and making people feel suspicious
31
5.0
Acting in a dishonest way to make people believe something untrue
26
4.5
Uses lies or clever plans to get what they want
25
7.3
Not giving a direct answer to hide the truth or avoid commitment
6
9.1
Saying things that are not true
6
4.8
Not honest and likely to tell lies
4
8.4
A person who acts sneaky and dishonest to avoid clear answers
3
8.8
Clever in a dishonest way to trick people
3
8.2
Being clever at secretly tricking people for personal gain
1
9.9
Acting in a way that tricks people to get what you want
1
8.2
A person who looks nervous and like they want to hide something
1
9.1
Behaving in a sly way that tries to fool people
Not safe to depend on because they may fail or betray you
Dishonest in a way that makes you think of a scam
Antonyms
How Suspicious
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Shifty comes from the word shift, which means 'to move' or 'change', plus the ending -y. A helpful way to remember the dishonest meaning is to think of someone who 'shifts' their eyes or story to avoid the truth, so shifty means 'not honest' or 'untrustworthy'.