tacky
1 Americanadjective
adjective
-
not tasteful or fashionable; dowdy.
-
shabby in appearance; shoddy.
a tacky, jerry-built housing development.
-
crass; cheaply vulgar; tasteless; crude.
-
gaudy; flashy; showy.
adjective
-
shabby or shoddy
-
ostentatious and vulgar
-
(of a person) dowdy; seedy
adjective
Other Word Forms
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
Explanation
Things that are tacky are cheap, flashy, garish, gaudy, loud, tawdry, or trashy. Tacky clothes are a fashion nightmare, and tacky comments are embarrassing for everyone involved. If you wore a bright orange suit to school, with a neon green hat, you'd be dressing in a tacky way. Tacky clothes are usually inexpensive yet flashy and showy — obnoxious. When people make tasteless, trashy comments, it's also considered tacky. But if you're in art class and someone says that your paper-mâché project is tacky, don't get mad — they probably just mean that it's not dry yet and still sticky to the touch.
Vocabulary lists containing tacky
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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.
See Examples For:
The trinket must be tacky, useless and tasteless, said Green.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
Then we went on to have what they’re calling the second golden age of television, and reality TV just became this weird, tacky wing on the house.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
I’m guessing maybe that could happen again where there’s a weird, tacky AI wing that is just that kind of content, but people will still maybe be looking for well-made, handmade things.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
The 22-year-old from Fife accepts that sometimes black and white shoots can feel "pretentious and tacky", but from watching the trailer, Spider-Noir feels different.
From BBC ● May 27, 2026
Today, I’m trying to explain to her the difference between dipping and polishing the silver, how only the tacky houses do the dip cause it’s faster, but it don’t look good.
From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett
"We actually have a couple of options in terms of tackier balls," Manfred said.
From Fox News ● Nov. 18, 2021
MLB anticipates receiving data next month on experiments with tackier baseballs that are being used in the Arizona Fall League.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 26, 2021
Even those that redesigned are still louder, tackier, and more swollen than their more contemporary counterparts.
From The Verge ● Nov. 16, 2018
His clearest forefather is Tony Clifton, the alter ego of Andy Kaufman, who wore an even tackier tux and provoked crowds into heckling sprees.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 12, 2015
But I was the best tackier, and I was determined to get there first.
From "Schooled" by Gordon Korman
The New York Hymnal described the Stonewall as having a "filthy john" and "high prices" and declared it "the tackiest joint in town."
From Slate ● Dec. 7, 2017
As the name suggests, guests are invited to wear the ugliest, tackiest holiday gear they can find.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2017
The weirdest music awards show of the year, and the tackiest, loudest live event of August, the VMAs are coming up again this Sunday, with Katy Perry set to host.
From The Verge ● Aug. 18, 2017
The set of “Bennie’s Gym” is the world’s tackiest and saddest fitness center.
From Washington Post ● May 30, 2016
So, whatever, we’d shopped for fudge, we’d looked at wind socks, and finally we went into a tourist shop and tried on the tackiest bathing suits we could find.
From "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart
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.
