clammy

American  

[klam-ee] / ˈklæm i /

adjective

clammier, clammiest

1. covered with a cold, sticky moisture; cold and damp.

   clammy hands.

2. sickly; morbid.

   She had a clammy feeling that something was wrong at home.

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clammy British  

/ ˈklæmɪ /

adjective

1. unpleasantly sticky; moist

   clammy hands

2. (of the weather, atmosphere, etc) close; humid

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Other Word Forms

• clammily adverb
• clamminess noun

Etymology

Origin of clammy

1350–1400; Middle English, equivalent to Middle English clam sticky, cold and damp + -y -y ¹

Explanation

Clammy means unpleasantly cool and slimy to the touch. It has nothing to do with those tasty little sea creatures, but they too are pretty slimy. Nine times out of ten the thing described as clammy is a hand or forehead, usually of someone who's pretty sick or just physically unpleasant. When Dickens' David Copperfield shakes the hand of the creepy Uriah Heep he exclaims, "But oh, what a clammy hand his was! As ghostly to the touch as to the sight!" Clammy can also refer to the air or atmosphere of a place, if it's particularly damp.

Example Sentences

“In the ‘morning’ the air is thick; it hangs in a clammy, damp mass that you can all but grasp with your hands.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025

She has found herself with acne or clammy hands, only to realize they are potential side effects when people are on some antidepressants.

From Salon • May 23, 2025

Symptoms can include: chest pain; tightness or pain in the arms, neck, jaw, back or stomach; feeling dizzy or lightheaded; feeling tired or out of breath; nausea, and feeling sweaty or clammy.

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2024

Symptoms of heat exhaustion include heavy sweating; cold, pale and clammy skin; a fast pulse; nausea or vomiting; dizziness; headache; and passing out.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 12, 2023

I feel sweaty and clammy under the mattress.

From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone