sticky
Americanadjective
-
having the property of adhering, as glue; adhesive.
-
covered with adhesive or viscid matter.
sticky hands.
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(of the weather or climate) hot and humid.
It was an unbearably sticky day.
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requiring careful treatment; awkwardly difficult.
a rather sticky diplomatic problem; Breaking the news is going to be sticky.
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Informal. unpleasant; unfortunate; nasty.
The villain of the story meets a sticky end.
noun
adjective
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covered or daubed with an adhesive or viscous substance
sticky fingers
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having the property of sticking to a surface
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(of weather or atmosphere) warm and humid; muggy
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(of prices) tending not to fall in deflationary conditions
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informal difficult, awkward, or painful
a sticky business
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informal sentimental
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(of a website) encouraging users to visit repeatedly
verb
noun
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short for stickybeak
-
an inquisitive look or stare (esp in the phrase have a sticky at )
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of sticky
1720–30; 1910–15 sticky for def. 4; stick 2 + -y 1
Explanation
Things that easily adhere to other things are sticky. Glue and tape are sticky. So is a wad of chewed gum — especially when you step in it. Yuck. Many things are meant to be sticky, like the sticky notes you use for bookmarks or the sticky lint roller you use to remove cat hair from your pants. You can also describe hot, humid weather as sticky, or an awkward problem you can't easily shake: "They brought up a number of sticky issues in the meeting this morning." If someone has "sticky fingers," it means they're inclined to steal things.
Vocabulary lists containing sticky
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.
The back rooms of the La Brea Tar Pits are, at the moment, a maze of packing crates tagged with handwritten sticky notes that say things like “bison skulls” or “camel hip.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2026
The beige book is “the latest warning sign that inflation is quickly turning into a sticky problem,” said Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 3, 2026
Instead, she points out that other outcomes are also plausible, including a growing risk that inflation could remain sticky if energy costs do not come down quickly, causing businesses to raise prices.
From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026
Acushnet’s Titleist focuses on pricier, performance-focused clubs, with the benefit of a sticky, high-spending customer base.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 31, 2026
Professor Brown finished pulling the electrical sensors off my arms and legs, and I barely flinched as the sticky pads yanked out my arm and leg hair.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
