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1. Relative darkness caused by light rays being intercepted by an opaque body
   "it is much cooler in the shade";
   - shadiness, shadowiness
    
2. A quality of a given colour that differs slightly from another colour
   "after several trials he mixed the shade of pink that she wanted";
   - tint, tincture, tone
    
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, opinion or attitude
   "don't argue about shades of meaning";
   - nuance, nicety, subtlety, refinement
    
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
   "the new model is a shade better than the old one";
   - tad [informal]
    
7. A mental representation of some haunting experience
   "he looked like he had seen a shade";
   - ghost, spook, wraith, specter [US], spectre [Brit, Cdn]
    
8. A representation of the effect of shadows in a picture or drawing (as by shading or darker pigment)
    
9. A protective ornamental covering for a lamp, used to screen a light bulb from direct view
   - lampshade, lamp shade

1. Cast a shadow over
   - shadow, shade off
    
2. (art) represent the effect of shade or shadow on
   - fill in
    
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 colour to another by a slight degree
   "the butterfly wings shade to yellow"

Derived forms: shaded, shades, shading

Type of: alter, apparition, block out, change, color [US], coloring [US], colour [Brit, Cdn], colouring [Brit, Cdn], darken, draw, fantasm, import, inferiority, lower rank, lower status, meaning, modify, paint, phantasm, phantasma, phantom, protection, protective cover, protective covering, representation, screen, semidarkness, shadow, significance, signification, small indefinite amount, small indefinite quantity

Part of: lamp

Encyclopedia: Shade, The Changing Man