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shade has 20 distinct synonyms spread across 8 of its 14 senses. Each sense below keeps its own list, because a synonym belongs to a meaning and not to a word: swapping one sense's substitute into another sense's sentence is how a thesaurus makes writing worse. WordNet records no antonym for it — antonymy is a relation between word forms rather than concepts, so it is deliberately sparse.
Counts are distinct word forms across every sense. A synonym that appears under three senses is counted once here and shown three times below, under each sense it belongs to.
relative darkness caused by light rays being intercepted by an opaque body
“it is much cooler in the shade”
protective covering that protects something from direct sunlight
“they used umbrellas as shades”
a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude
“without understanding the finer nuances you can't enjoy the humor”
a position of relative inferiority
“an achievement that puts everything else in the shade”
a slight amount or degree of difference
“a tad too expensive”
a representation of the effect of shadows in a picture or drawing (as by shading or darker pigment)
a protective ornamental covering for a lamp, used to screen a light bulb from direct view
Synonyms, antonyms and the broader and narrower relations for shade come from Princeton University’s WordNet. Full sources and licences.
protect from light, heat, or view
“Shade your eyes when you step out into the bright sunlight”
pass from one quality such as color to another by a slight degree
“the butterfly wings shade to yellow”