1. (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Shift.

2. (a.) Changing in place, position, or direction; varying; variable; fickle; as, shifting winds; shifting opinions or principles.

3. (a.) Adapted or used for shifting anything.

aberrancy aberrant aberration aberrative adrift afloat alternating alternation amorphous bend bias bickering boggling branching off capricious captiousness caviling changeable changeful chicane chicanery circuitous circuitousness circumforaneous corner crook curve dangerous declination departing departure desultory detour deviable deviance deviancy deviant deviating deviation deviative deviatory devious deviousness digression digressive discursion discursive divagation divagatory divarication divergence diversion dizzy dodging dogleg double drift drifting eccentric equivocation errant errantry erratic evasion excursion excursive excursus exorbitation fast and loose fencing fickle fitful flickering flighty flitting floating fluctuating fluctuation footloose footloose and fancy-free freakish fugitive gadding giddy gypsy-like gypsyish hairpin hairsplitting hazardous hedging impetuous impulsive inconsistent inconstant indecisive indirect indirection infirm insecure insubstantial irregular irresolute irresponsible labyrinthine landloping logic-chopping mazy meandering mercurial migrational migratory moody nit-picking nomad nomadic obliquity oscillation out-of-the-way paltering parrying pendulation pererration perilous pettifoggery planetary precarious prevarication provisional pussyfooting quibbling rambling ranging restless risky roaming roving scatterbrained seesawing serpentine shaky shapeless sheer shift shifting course shifting path shifty shuffling sidestepping skew slant slippery snaky spasmodic spineless straggling stray straying strolling subterfuge sweep swerve swerving swinging tack teeter-tottering teetering temporary tentative tergiversation ticklish tottering traipsing transient transitory transmigratory treacherous trichoschistism turn turning twist twisting unaccountable uncertain uncontrolled undependable undirected undisciplined unfaithworthy unfixed unpredictable unreliable unrestrained unsettled unsolid unsound unstable unstable as water unstaid unsteadfast unsteady unsubstantial unsure untrustworthy vacillating vacillation vagabond vagrant variable variation veer veering vicissitude vicissitudinary vicissitudinous volatile wandering wanton warp wavering wavery wavy wayward whimsical winding wishy-washy yaw zigzag