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Synonyms

tacky

1 American  
[tak-ee] / ˈtæk i /

adjective

tackier, tackiest

  1. sticky to the touch; adhesive.

tacky 2 American  
[tak-ee] / ˈtæk i /

adjective

tackier, tackiest

  1. not tasteful or fashionable; dowdy.

  2. shabby in appearance; shoddy.

    a tacky, jerry-built housing development.

  3. crass; cheaply vulgar; tasteless; crude.

  4. gaudy; flashy; showy.

tacky 1 British  
/ ˈtækɪ /

adjective

  1. shabby or shoddy

  2. ostentatious and vulgar

  3. (of a person) dowdy; seedy

"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
tacky 2 British  
/ ˈtækɪ /

adjective

  1. slightly sticky or adhesive

    the varnish was still tacky
"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

  • tackily adverb
  • tackiness noun

Etymology

Origin of tacky1

First recorded in 1780–90; tack 1 + -y 1

Origin of tacky2

1880–85, apparently identical with earlier tack(e)y small horse, pony, poor farmer; of obscure origin

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.

Displays of it, particularly in architecture or public art, are often perceived as tacky, kitschy or, heaven forbid, nouveau riche.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

"The wicket got really good again for batting, it was slightly tacky earlier when we bowled," said Markram.

From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026

Chinese wellness practices, once associated with the tacky and geriatric, have suddenly found themselves in vogue, largely among Americans.

From BBC • Feb. 14, 2026

Some fashion cognoscenti questioned the blue lenses, saying the choice was garish and tacky.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026

I think I heard Britt-Marie mutter something about being “appalled by the tacky linoleum they used to call flooring.”

From "Fast Pitch" by Nic Stone

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.