Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The character of being shifty, in any sense.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The quality or state of being shifty.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun uncountable The property of being shifty.
  • noun countable, rare The result or product of being shifty.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the quality of being a slippery rascal
  • noun the quality of being changeable in direction

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From shifty +ā€Ž -ness

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Examples

  • An Edmonton, Alberta native, Comrie's scoring ability and just plain shiftiness has been well documented.

    USA TODAY Latest news 1998

  • If I had to put it into a word, IĀ’d go with "shiftiness".

    Boing Boing: July 21, 2002 - July 27, 2002 Archives 2002

  • The want of "shiftiness" is a national characteristic.

    Diary of the Besieged Resident in Paris Henry Labouchere 1871

  • It is true that he has a certain rapidity, which somebody calls "shiftiness," of resolution and of performance, which gets him out of his scrapes as rapidly as he gets in.

    How to Do It Edward Everett Hale 1865

  • "shiftiness" of the eye which was far from inspiring confidence, and with a trick of the tongue which suggested that his baptismal certificate probably bore the name of Anthony Martin.

    Cleek, the Master Detective Thomas W. Hanshew 1885

  • "shiftiness" of the eye which was far from inspiring confidence, and with a trick of the tongue which suggested that his baptismal certificate probably bore the name of Anthony Martin.

    Cleek: the Man of the Forty Faces Thomas W. Hanshew 1885

  • The present shiftiness, circumlocution and evasion is doing the party nothing but harm.

    A Cowardly Lack Of National Leadership 2009

  • The present shiftiness, circumlocution and evasion is doing the party nothing but harm.

    Archive 2009-09-06 2009

  • But he also displayed the shiftiness that had USC people comparing him to Reggie Bush, his immediate predecessor at that program.

    New York Jets Team Report 2010

  • Then there was some more shiftiness over whether he'll release his tax returns ā€“ and Romney got away with a non-answer that basically said he'd think about doing it if he was the nominee.

    South Carolina Republican debate: Stopping Mitt Romney - as it happened 2012

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