shade

What it means

Subtle, sneaky disrespect or a veiled insult delivered without saying anything outright rude. 'Throwing shade' means publicly putting someone down in a clever, indirect way that lets you keep deniability.

Examples

• She said 'some people can't dress' while staring right at me — shade.
• He's been throwing shade at his ex all over Instagram.
• Was that a compliment or shade? I genuinely can't tell.
• No shade, but that haircut is a choice.

Where it comes from

Coined in Black and Latino LGBTQ+ ballroom culture, famously documented in the 1990 film 'Paris Is Burning.' It went mainstream via reality TV and Twitter in the 2010s.

Related slang