tacky

[ tak-ee ]

/ ˈtæk i /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tacky ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, tack·i·er, tack·i·est.

sticky to the touch; adhesive.

Content related to tacky

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Words related to tacky

gaudy, run-down, shabby, vulgar, dingy, faded, messy, seedy, threadbare, sleazy, broken-down, crude, dilapidated, dowdy, frumpy, inelegant, mangy, nasty, out-of-date, outmoded

Words nearby tacky

tackie, tackies, tackle, tackling, tacksman, tacky, tacloban, tacmahack, tacna-arica, tacnode, taco

Origin of tacky

First recorded in 1780–90; tack¹ + -y¹

OTHER WORDS FROM tacky

tack·i·ness, noun

Definition for tacky (2 of 2)

tacky²

[ 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

1880–85, 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. 2019

Examples from the Web for tacky

“All of the ideas were so awful and tacky so I said no,” she says.
Diane von Furstenberg: How I Learned to Love My Wrap Dress|Lizzie Crocker|October 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Some of the sweaters he thought were true works of art, and some he thought were just tacky or funny.
A Full-Length Bill Cosby Portrait: From Track Star to Ugly Sweaters|Scott Porch|September 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At the Met, jewels by JAR may be tacky junk, but they tell us about ourselves.
Liberace Would Have Balked|Blake Gopnik|January 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was timeless, that wacky, tacky character she created; the cigarette holder was genius, paradoxically regal.
Roseanne Barr Hails the Comedic Genius of Phyllis Diller|Roseanne Barr|August 21, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Yes, the tabloids can be tacky, sensationalist, intentionally misleading, and ethically suspect.
What You Can Learn From John Edwards and Rielle Hunter|Michelle Cottle|June 27, 2012|DAILY BEAST
There is sufficient evidence to warrant the injunction that tacky rubber should be excluded from contact with sound rubber.
The Preparation of Plantation Rubber|Sidney Morgan
A vellum binding which is “tacky” may be rubbed over with powdered soapstone after cleaning.
Book Repair and Restoration|Mitchell Buck
This effect is further magnified if the “tacky” piece of rubber is packed in close contact with previously unaffected rubber.
The Preparation of Plantation Rubber|Sidney Morgan
Madison, my first town, showed me that my clothes were homemade and tacky.
The Log-Cabin Lady, An Anonymous Autobiography|Unknown
People were sorrier than ever for Jim and for his aunt and for the tacky, pretty little Hardin girl.
Back Home|Irvin S. Cobb

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 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012