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

Example Sentences

Howe has endured sticky spells before, of course.

From BBC

Sam poked out his tongue to catch a tear that was coming down his sticky cheek.

From Literature

Ultimately, given its sticky customer base and solid fundamentals—and the indispensable nature of identity security—investors have plenty of reasons to sign on and own Okta for the long run.

From Barron's

Cars lined up and Swig employees walked from customer to customer, scribbling orders on sticky notes and ringing up sales with a Casio register.

From The Wall Street Journal

One wears sprinkles like confetti or a glaze sticky as the night and waits under hard light at an airport coffee counter.

From Salon

Related Words

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