tacky
1[ tak-ee ]
adjective,tack·i·er, tack·i·est.
sticky to the touch; adhesive.
Origin of tacky
1Other words from tacky
- tack·i·ness, noun
Other definitions for tacky (2 of 2)
tacky2
[ tak-ee ]
adjective,tack·i·er, tack·i·est.
not tasteful or fashionable; dowdy.
shabby in appearance; shoddy: a tacky, jerry-built housing development.
crass; cheaply vulgar; tasteless; crude.
gaudy; flashy; showy.
Origin of tacky
21880–85, Americanism; apparently identical with earlier tack(e)y small horse, pony, poor farmer; of obscure origin
Other words from tacky
- tack·i·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for tacky (1 of 2)
tacky1
tackey
/ (ˈtækɪ) /
adjectivetackier or tackiest
slightly sticky or adhesive: the varnish was still tacky
Origin of tacky
1C18: from tack 1 (in the sense: stickiness)
Derived forms of tacky
- tackily, adverb
- tackiness, noun
British Dictionary definitions for tacky (2 of 2)
tacky2
/ (ˈtækɪ) /
adjectivetackier or tackiest informal
shabby or shoddy
ostentatious and vulgar
US (of a person) dowdy; seedy
Origin of tacky
2C19: from dialect tacky an inferior horse, of unknown origin
Derived forms of tacky
- tackiness, 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
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