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Synonyms

sticky

American  
[stik-ee] / ˈstɪk i /

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 British  
/ 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

"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

verb

  1. informal (tr) to make sticky

"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

noun

  1. short for stickybeak

  2. an inquisitive look or stare (esp in the phrase have a sticky at )

"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

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of sticky

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

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.

Each device integrates with another, incentivizing the user to buy more than one Apple product after entering the company’s sticky ecosystem.

From Barron's

Recommending taking your food recycling bin out every week, he said lining a food caddy meant food waste was less likely to get congealed and sticky.

From BBC

But the trapeze makes Florida home, even if it’s so humid the air is sticky.

From Literature

Every surface is covered in a layer of grime and graffiti, and the air is thick and sticky, like chowder soup.

From Literature

Clare thought it was joyful and lovely, though Brickbane had always grumbled about it, for it made the book fat and sticky.

From Literature

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.