Tacky

//ˈtæki// adj, noun, slang

adj, noun, slang ·Common ·Middle school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Alternative form of tackey. alt-of, alternative
Adjective
  1. 1
    Of a substance, slightly sticky.

    "This paint isn't dry yet; it's still a bit tacky."

  2. 2
    Of low quality. colloquial

    "That market stall sells all sorts of tacky ornaments."

  3. 3
    In poor taste. colloquial

    "That was a tacky thing to say."

  4. 4
    Gaudy or flashy.

    "Steve Randle was seventeen, tall and lean, with thick greasy hair he kept combed in complicated swirls. He was tacky, smart, and Soda's best buddy since grade school."

  5. 5
    Shabby, dowdy in one's appearance or dress.
Adjective
  1. 1
    tastelessly showy wordnet
  2. 2
    (of a glutinous liquid such as paint) not completely dried and slightly sticky to the touch wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
gimcrackwetadherentadhesiveamylaceousbase

Example

More examples

"Because he thought Fred's comment was tacky, Larry got up on his high horse."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From tack + -y.

Etymology 2

Sense “in poor taste” from 1888, from earlier sense meaning shabby or seedy. Also see tackey (“neglected horse”), Southern US colloquialism from 1800s, later extended to people.

Related phrases

ticky-tacky

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.