sticky
Americanadjective
-
having the property of adhering, as glue; adhesive.
-
covered with adhesive or viscid matter.
sticky hands.
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(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
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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.
Sticky U.S. restrictions might also spark a rotation into software stocks, which have come under heavy selling pressure this year due to fears of AI disruption, she said.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 15, 2026
Sticky inflation has been driven by rising prices for a range of goods and services.
From Barron's • Feb. 27, 2026
Sticky inflation could make it harder for the Fed to keep cutting interest rates.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 7, 2025
"Sticky wage growth may mean the Bank remains uneasy about inflationary pressures in the near term," Ms Gregory said.
From BBC • May 13, 2025
Kate asked Sticky to take a few steps while she watched.
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
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.
