English Dictionary |
SHIFTINESS
Pronunciation (US): | (GB): |
Dictionary entry overview: What does shiftiness mean?
• SHIFTINESS (noun)
The noun SHIFTINESS has 2 senses:
1. the quality of being a slippery rascal
2. the quality of being changeable in direction
Familiarity information: SHIFTINESS used as a noun is rare.
Dictionary entry details
Sense 1
Meaning:
The quality of being a slippery rascal
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Synonyms:
rascality; shiftiness; slipperiness; trickiness
Hypernyms ("shiftiness" is a kind of...):
dishonesty (the quality of being dishonest)
Derivation:
shifty (characterized by insincerity or deceit; evasive)
Sense 2
Meaning:
The quality of being changeable in direction
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Context example:
the shiftiness of the wind caused the boat to veer unpredictably
Hypernyms ("shiftiness" is a kind of...):
changeability; changeableness (the quality of being changeable; having a marked tendency to change)
Derivation:
shifty (changing position or direction)
Context examples
But there was no shyness or shiftiness about Berks’s fighting.
(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
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