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tacky

adj
/ˈtæki/

Etymology

Sense “in poor taste” from 1888, from earlier sense meaning shabby or seedy. Also see tackey (“neglected horse”), Southern US colloquialism from 1800s, later extended to people.

  1. derived from *takkō✻ — “twig, branch, shoot”
  2. inherited from tak
  3. suffixed as tacky — “tack + y”

Definitions

  1. Of a substance, slightly sticky.

    • This paint isn't dry yet; it's still a bit tacky.

  2. Of low quality.

    • That market stall sells all sorts of tacky ornaments.

  3. In poor taste.

    • That was a tacky thing to say.
  4. ›+ 3 more definitions

    1. Gaudy or flashy.

      • Steve Randle was seventeen, tall and lean, with thick greasy hair he kept combed in complicated swirls. He was tacky, smart, and Soda's best buddy since grade school.

    2. Shabby, dowdy in one's appearance or dress.

    3. Alternative form of tackey.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for tacky. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA