gooey
Americanadjective
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like or covered with goo; sticky; viscid.
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Informal. extremely sentimental or emotionally effusive.
adjective
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sticky, soft, and often sweet
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oversweet and sentimental
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of gooey
Explanation
Gooey things are drippy and soft, as well as sticky. Your very favorite dessert might be a huge, melty, gooey hot fudge sundae. Few things are more annoying than stepping on something gooey on the sidewalk, or getting a gooey piece of gum stuck in your hair. Gooey candy, likewise, might taste delicious but get stuck in your teeth. The informal gooey is the perfect way to describe these gummy, tacky substances, and it comes from American-coined slang, from goo, probably a shortened form of the now-obsolete burgoo, meaning "thick porridge."
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 latest trade statistics show Japan's exports of the highly nutritious gooey beans tripled from 2017 to 5,248 tonnes in 2025, with China and the United States topping the list of destinations.
From Barron's • Jun. 22, 2026
Neither chewy, gooey nor crumbly, it was a grown-up way for me to get my chocolate fix—dessert and mouth freshener in one.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026
It’s where Demi Moore kicked off her gooey comeback with “The Substance.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2026
Well, it's happened - and the gooey elasticity is key, according to a viral TikTok challenge promoting the serum.
From BBC • Jan. 2, 2026
Even after three days of rest and the wondrous healing properties of Coach Hedge’s gooey brown gunk, Nico started to dissolve the moment he shadow-jumped.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
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.
