shade

Shade is a subtle, indirect insult: disrespect delivered with a smile, a look or a carefully chosen word. To “throw shade” is to insult someone without saying it outright.

What counts as shade

Shade is clever rather than crude. Complimenting someone’s “brave” outfit, congratulating a rival on finally winning something, or pointedly praising everyone except one person are all shade. The target knows exactly what you meant, but you never technically said anything rude.

The most famous definition comes from drag performer Dorian Corey in the 1990 documentary Paris Is Burning: shade is when “I don’t tell you you’re ugly, but I don’t have to tell you,” because you already know.

Examples

• “Did she just say my cooking is ‘interesting’? That’s shade.”
• “He threw so much shade at his ex in that interview.”
• “No shade, but this playlist needs work.”
• “The shade in this comment section is unreal.”

“No shade” and “throwing shade”

“No shade” is a disclaimer meaning “I’m not trying to insult you,” though it’s often followed by something a little shady. “Throwing shade” is the act itself. “Shady” describes a person or move that’s sneaky or untrustworthy, a related but older meaning.

Where shade comes from

Merriam-Webster says the first recorded use of shade meaning an insult is from Paris Is Burning, Jennie Livingston’s 1990 documentary about New York’s Black and Latino ballroom scene. “Throw shade” appeared in The New York Times by 1993, RuPaul’s Drag Race helped popularize it, and Merriam-Webster added the word in 2017.

Related terms

• Tea: gossip.
• Receipts: proof.
• Savage: boldly brutal.
• Subtweet: a post about someone that doesn’t name them.

See more in our Gen Z slang dictionary.