sticky
Americanadjective
-
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.
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requiring careful treatment; awkwardly difficult.
a rather sticky diplomatic problem; Breaking the news is going to be sticky.
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Informal. unpleasant; unfortunate; nasty.
The villain of the story meets a sticky end.
noun
adjective
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covered or daubed with an adhesive or viscous substance
sticky fingers
-
having the property of sticking to a surface
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(of weather or atmosphere) warm and humid; muggy
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(of prices) tending not to fall in deflationary conditions
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informal difficult, awkward, or painful
a sticky business
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informal sentimental
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(of a website) encouraging users to visit repeatedly
verb
noun
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short for stickybeak
-
an inquisitive look or stare (esp in the phrase have a sticky at )
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
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.
Vocabulary lists containing sticky
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.
That’s because investors were worried about sticky inflation.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 30, 2026
Every neuron contains Tau, but in Alzheimer's disease the protein begins clumping into large, sticky tangles that interfere with the cell's internal transport system before eventually killing the neuron.
From Science Daily • Jun. 30, 2026
What started off as a trailblazing music partnership between música mexicana band Fuerza Regida and L.A. label Rancho Humilde has now fizzled into a sticky online drama.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 29, 2026
“Beyond the spot-price selloff, the market is increasingly challenging its prior assumption that long-dated prices need to incorporate a sticky security premium,” Goldman analysts said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 25, 2026
My hands were sticky with sap, and twigs kept poking me in the eyes.
From "Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat" by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth
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.
