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Synonyms

tacky

1 American  
[tak-ee] / ˈtæk i /

adjective

tackier, tackiest

  1. sticky to the touch; adhesive.

tacky 2 American  
[tak-ee] / ˈtæk i /

adjective

tackier, tackiest

  1. not tasteful or fashionable; dowdy.

  2. shabby in appearance; shoddy.

    a tacky, jerry-built housing development.

  3. crass; cheaply vulgar; tasteless; crude.

  4. gaudy; flashy; showy.

tacky 1 British  
/ ˈtækɪ /

adjective

  1. shabby or shoddy

  2. ostentatious and vulgar

  3. (of a person) dowdy; seedy

"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
tacky 2 British  
/ ˈtækɪ /

adjective

  1. slightly sticky or adhesive

    the varnish was still tacky
"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

Other Word Forms

  • tackily adverb
  • tackiness noun

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

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.

As for the tchotchkes, they ran the gamut from tacky souvenir to sentimental heirloom.

From The Wall Street Journal

Money is the focus in the tracks like “La Moneda,” with Joel’s voice echoing through the backdrop as he proclaims that cash might change some tacky, incompetent chumps, but not him.

From Los Angeles Times

It was spectacularly tested at the hall’s 10th anniversary, but with tacky prerecorded video and crummy amplification.

From Los Angeles Times

Together we walked over to the fountain’s edge, where a large spotlight illuminated the slightly tacky sculptures.

From Literature

Government auditors called out the purchase—not for being tacky but for how the worker got to the store: in a state car.

From The Wall Street Journal

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.