definitions

sticky

[ stik-ee ]
/ ˈstɪk i /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sticky ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, stick·i·er, stick·i·est.

having the property of adhering, as glue; adhesive.
covered with adhesive or viscid matter: sticky hands.
(of the weather or climate) hot and humid: It was an unbearably sticky day.
requiring careful treatment; awkwardly difficult: a rather sticky diplomatic problem; Breaking the news is going to be sticky.
Informal. unpleasant; unfortunate; nasty: The villain of the story meets a sticky end.

noun, plural stick·ies.

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.

RELATED CONTENT

Where There’s Warmth, There’s Also Coolth: Long Lost Word PairsThis is dedicated to the sock in the basement, the flung-and-forgotten earring, the windshield wiper in the ditch. We’re reuniting long-lost word pairs.
READ MORE
Where There’s Warmth, There’s Also Coolth: Long Lost Word PairsThis is dedicated to the sock in the basement, the flung-and-forgotten earring, the windshield wiper in the ditch. We’re reuniting long-lost word pairs.
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

wetness, dampness, adhesion, fusion, adhesiveness

Nearby words

stickum, stickup, stickup man, stickweed, stickwork, sticky, sticky blood, sticky bun, sticky end, sticky fingers, sticky note

Origin of sticky

1720–30; 1910–15 for def 4; stick2 + -y1

Related forms

stick·i·ly, adverbstick·i·ness, nounnon·stick·y, adjectiveun·stick·y, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for stickiness

British Dictionary definitions for stickiness

sticky

/ (ˈstɪkɪ) /

adjective stickier or stickiest

verb stickies, stickying or stickied

(tr) informal to make sticky

noun plural stickies Australian informal

short for stickybeak
an inquisitive look or stare (esp in the phrase have a sticky at)

Derived Forms

stickily, adverbstickiness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012