tacky
1[ tak-ee ]
/ ˈtæk i /
adjective, tack·i·er, tack·i·est.
sticky to the touch; adhesive.
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RELATED WORDS
gaudy, run-down, shabby, vulgar, dingy, faded, messy, seedy, threadbare, sleazy, broken-down, crude, dilapidated, dowdy, frumpy, inelegant, mangy, nasty, out-of-date, outmoded
Nearby words
Related forms
tack·i·ness, nounDefinition for tacky (2 of 2)
tacky
2[ tak-ee ]
/ ˈtæk i /
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
Related forms
tack·i·ness, nounDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for tacky
British Dictionary definitions for tacky (1 of 2)
tacky
1tackey
/ (ˈtækɪ) /
adjective tackier or tackiest
slightly sticky or adhesivethe varnish was still tacky
Derived Forms
tackily, adverbtackiness, nounWord Origin for tacky
C18: from tack 1 (in the sense: stickiness)
British Dictionary definitions for tacky (2 of 2)
tacky
2/ (ˈtækɪ) /
adjective tackier or tackiest informal
shabby or shoddy
ostentatious and vulgar
US (of a person) dowdy; seedy
Derived Forms
tackiness, nounWord Origin for tacky
C19: from dialect tacky an inferior horse, of unknown origin
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