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tacky

1
[ tak-ee ]
/ ˈtæk i /
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adjective, tackĀ·iĀ·er, tackĀ·iĀ·est.
sticky to the touch; adhesive.
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Origin of tacky

1
First recorded in 1780–90; tack1 + -y1

OTHER WORDS FROM tacky

tackĀ·iĀ·ness, noun

Other definitions for tacky (2 of 2)

tacky2
[ tak-ee ]
/ ˈtæk i /

adjective, tackĀ·iĀ·er, tackĀ·iĀ·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

2
1880–85, Americanism; apparently identical with earlier tack(e)y small horse, pony, poor farmer; of obscure origin

OTHER WORDS FROM tacky

tackĀ·iĀ·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Ā© Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tacky in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tacky (1 of 2)

tacky1

tackey

/ (ˈtækɪ) /

adjective tackier or tackiest
slightly sticky or adhesivethe varnish was still tacky

Derived forms of tacky

tackily, adverbtackiness, noun

Word Origin for tacky

C18: from tack 1 (in the sense: stickiness)

British Dictionary definitions for tacky (2 of 2)

tacky2
/ (ˈtækɪ) /

adjective tackier or tackiest informal
shabby or shoddy
ostentatious and vulgar
US (of a person) dowdy; seedy

Derived forms of tacky

tackiness, noun

Word Origin for tacky

C19: from dialect tacky an inferior horse, of unknown origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition Ā© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 Ā© HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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