tacky

English

Etymology 1

tack +‎ -y

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈtæki/
  • Rhymes: -æki

Adjective

tacky (comparative tackier, superlative tackiest)

  1. Of a substance, slightly sticky.
    This paint isn't dry yet; it's still a bit tacky.
Hypernyms
Translations

Etymology 2

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.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈtæki/
  • Rhymes: -æki

Adjective

tacky (comparative tackier, superlative tackiest)

  1. (colloquial) Of low quality.
    That market stall sells all sorts of tacky ornaments.
  2. (colloquial) In poor taste.
    That was a tacky thing to say.
  3. Gaudy, flashy, showy, garish.
    • 1967, S. E. Hinton, The Outsiders
      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.
  4. Dowdy, shabbily dressed.
  5. Shabby, dowdy in one's appearance.
Translations

Noun

tacky (plural tackies)

  1. Alternative form of tackey
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