sticky

[stik-ee]

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.

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

/ 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

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

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of sticky¹

1720–30; 1910–15 sticky for def. 4; stick ² + -y ¹

Example Sentences

“In a cycle where interest rate policy is politically fraught and inflation remains sticky, the Fed may find that the most effective easing tool is already hiding in plain sight.”

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Officials largely agreed that a recent slowdown in job growth outweighed lingering concerns over sticky inflation when they cut their benchmark rate by a quarter-point last month, to a range between 4% and 4.25%.

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Her determination is that highly sticky air occurs when humidity drives wet heat more than temperature.

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In times of stress, however, like the 2023 regional banking crisis, it is a bank’s sticky deposits that become its best defense.

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Slow economic growth, sticky levels of inflation and growing illegal migration, combined with a series of stumbles that have forced Starmer to fire key advisers and allies, have all sapped the prime minister’s political standing.

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Related Words

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