sticky

American  

[stik-ee] / ˈstɪk i /

adjective

stickier, stickiest

1. having the property of adhering, as glue; adhesive.

2. covered with adhesive or viscid matter.

   sticky hands.

3. (of the weather or climate) hot and humid.

   It was an unbearably sticky day.

   Synonyms:

   steamy, damp, sultry, muggy

4. requiring careful treatment; awkwardly difficult.

   a rather sticky diplomatic problem; Breaking the news is going to be sticky.

5. Informal. unpleasant; unfortunate; nasty.

   The villain of the story meets a sticky end.

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noun

plural

stickies

1. one of a number of small sheets of paper on a pad, each having an adhesive backing that allows it to be positioned and repositioned on smooth surfaces.

sticky British  

/ ˈstɪkɪ /

adjective

1. covered or daubed with an adhesive or viscous substance

   sticky fingers

2. having the property of sticking to a surface

3. (of weather or atmosphere) warm and humid; muggy

4. (of prices) tending not to fall in deflationary conditions

5. informal difficult, awkward, or painful

   a sticky business

6. informal sentimental

7. (of a website) encouraging users to visit repeatedly

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verb

1. informal (tr) to make sticky

noun

1. short for stickybeak

2. an inquisitive look or stare (esp in the phrase have a sticky at )

Other Word Forms

• nonsticky
  adjective
• stickily
  adverb
• stickiness
  noun
• unsticky
  adjective

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.

Example Sentences

Sticky inflation could push the Fed to take a more hawkish approach, and higher interest rates aren’t good for tech stocks.

From Barron's • Apr. 4, 2026

Sticky buns feel immature once you have said korvapuusti.

From Salon • Mar. 8, 2026

Sticky inflation could make it harder for the Fed to keep cutting interest rates.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 7, 2025

Sticky notes can be a good tool to encourage children to express their emotions, it says.

From BBC • Sep. 5, 2024

When Reynie returned from brushing his teeth, he found Sticky already asleep on the lower bunk, the lamp still lit, spectacles still on his nose, and slippers still on his feet.

From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart

Related Words

• awkward
• delicate
• heavy
• knotty
• rough
• thorny
• tricky