shades of

Idioms

A reminder of a person or situation in the past. For example, He really played a fine game for a fifty-year-old—shades of his high school triumphs, or They found themselves alone on the beach—shades of their childhood summers together. [Mid-1800s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In the middle of the room was a big loom, strung with varying shades of threads.

From Literature

Cut into it and you’ll reveal its delicate anatomy — layers of leaves, in shades of light green or purple, all tightly packed into one big ball.

From Salon

A plate with five shades of something feels generous, even celebratory.

From Salon

For many, the story goes well beyond shades of blonde and finding the right Birkin bag and into what the couple actually meant to the public.

From The Wall Street Journal

But here in Somewhere, there are only dull shades of brown, gray, and more brown.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023