What does "sticky" mean?
A sticky note, such as a post-it note.
Sticky
/ˈstɪki/ adj, noun, verb, slang
adj, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A sticky note, such as a post-it note.
- Grammar: sticky is listed as adj, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: glutinous, adh..., adherent, adhering.
- Useful contrasts: clear-cut, nonadhesive, nonstick.
- Usage evidence: Clerks with sticky fingers won't keep their jobs for long.
How to use "sticky"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "sticky" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "sticky" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "sticky" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "sticky" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "sticky" is acting as adj, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "glutinous" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "sticky", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A sticky note, such as a post-it note. countable, uncountable
"Her desk is covered with yellow stickies."
- 2 A member of the Official Irish Republican Army. slang
- 3 A discussion thread fixed at the top of the list of topics or threads so as to keep it in view. Internet, countable, uncountable
- 4 A small adhesive particle found in wastepaper. countable, uncountable
- 5 A sweet dessert wine. Australia, colloquial, countable, uncountable
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 Sticky-icky; marijuana, especially the sticky, resin-covered buds. countable, slang, uncountable
"We'd smoked some nice sticky that night and fucked with some Erk and Jerk too, so my head was still cloudy when Pimp came in the room and said get up."
- 7 Wax. obsolete, slang, uncountable
Verb
- 1 to fix a thread at the top of the list of topics or threads so as to keep it in view. Internet, transitive
Adjective
- 1 Tending to stick; able to adhere via the drying of a viscous substance.
"Is this tape sticky enough to stay on that surface?"
- 2 Difficult, awkward.
"This is a sticky situation. We could be in this for weeks if we're not careful."
- 3 Of a death: unpleasant, grisly.
"Salmond studied medieval Scottish history as well as economics at university so he cannot say he has not had fair warning – it was even more turbulent and bloody than England at that time – and plenty of Scotland's kings and leaders came to a sticky end. If it happens this time, it won't be dull."
- 4 Of weather: hot and windless and with high humidity, so that people feel sticky from sweating.
"The baby was due in December and the hot, sticky August weather was making Jane uncomfortable."
- 5 Mawkish, sentimental.
"Love you and miss you and wish you all the sticky things one wishes at this season for someone one loves."
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 Tending to stay the same; resistant to change.
"a sticky price; sticky wages"
- 7 Persistent. informal
"We should make the printing direction sticky so the user doesn't have to keep setting it."
- 8 Appearing on all virtual desktops.
- 9 Fixed at the top of the list of topics or threads so as to keep it in view. Internet
- 10 Compelling enough to keep visitors from leaving. Internet
"A woman has come to me with the complaint that her website is not sticky: 70% of the visits last 30 seconds or less."
- 11 Resembling or characteristic of a stick. informal
"What's something that is brown and sticky? A stick"
Adjective
- 1 having the sticky properties of an adhesive wordnet
- 2 covered with an adhesive material wordnet
- 3 hard to deal with; especially causing pain or embarrassment wordnet
- 4 hot or warm and humid wordnet
- 5 moist as with undried perspiration and with clothing sticking to the body wordnet
Example
"Clerks with sticky fingers won't keep their jobs for long."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "sticky"?
Common synonyms include: glutinous, adh..., adherent, adhering, adhesive, adhesive.
How do you use "sticky" in a sentence?
Clerks with sticky fingers won't keep their jobs for long.
How do you pronounce "sticky"?
Pronounced /ˈstɪki/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From stick + -y.
Etymology 2
So called because they sold adhesive lilies to commemorate the Easter Rising.