Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- Adhesive; sticky; tenacious: noting viscous substances or surfaces. Also
tackey . - Unkempt; rough; shabby; ill-fed: said of persons or animals.
- Bad; poor; miserable.
- noun A long and stout branch of mimosa with the thorns left on at the end.
- noun An ill-fed or neglected horse; a rough, bony nag: sometimes used also of persons in the like condition. Also
tackey and ticky.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective United States Sticky; adhesive; raw; -- said of paint, varnish, etc., when not well dried.
- noun Southern U. S. An ill-conditioned, ill-fed, or neglected horse; also, a person in a like condition.
- adjective Local, U. S. Dowdy, shabby, or neglected in appearance; unkempt.
- adjective In poor taste; appearing cheap; gaudy; unstylish. Broadly used to describe objects whose style is disapproved of by the speaker.
- adjective Tactless; in poor taste; -- used to describe behavior.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective Of a substance, slightly
sticky . - adjective colloquial Of low quality.
- adjective colloquial In poor taste.
- adjective
gaudy ,flashy ,showy ,garish - adjective
dowdy ,shabbily dressed - adjective
shabby ,dowdy (in one's appearance)
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective tastelessly showy
- adjective (of a glutinous liquid such as paint) not completely dried and slightly sticky to the touch
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word tacky.
Examples
-
Instead, it's through the mediation of the new Capitol building's role as a cultural force -- one iconically reproduced on currency, commemorated in tacky souvenirs, and glimpsed through grubby windows from the backseats of cars -- that the presence of his future makes itself felt.
Boing Boing 2008
-
Of course I have asked to be removed from the spam list, and how tacky is it to ask for a pledge less than a month after getting a gift of $100.
-
Nicolas Cage "these days seems all too content to waste his and the audience's time in tacky genre throwaways," while Julianne Moore is "yet another performer who seems intent on breaking the hearts of the faithful."
-
And tacky is putting it lightly about using your daughter's hospitalization for campaign literature.
-
Now my hands are all sticky, covered in tacky goop, like flypaper.
-
Additional two cents 'worth: The AFSCME withdrawal of their endorsement of Dr. Dean was just plain tacky, as my mother would say.
February 2004 2004
-
I bunch of white trash in tacky chinese made flag shirts is hardly a revolt and don’t even start that stupid gun crap unless you want me to remove the firearm from you pudgie mitt and jam it up your ass …
Think Progress » Fox News commentator Geraldo Rivera criticizes Bret Baier’s Obama interview. 2010
-
First, the issue is arms, not a dating website, second the video is plain tacky.
-
First, the issue is arms, not a dating website, second the video is plain tacky.
The Israeli defence company’s ad that bombed « One Size Fits One 2009
-
Although it will smooth out, it will remain tacky.
What A difference 24 Hours Can Make!: 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread Laura 2008
jennarenn commented on the word tacky
The World's Tackiest Garage
October 2, 2007
reesetee commented on the word tacky
Wow! That's some garage. But pretty berries. :-)
October 2, 2007