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Definition of "tacky" [tack•y]

  • Slightly adhesive or gummy to the touch; sticky. (adjective)
  • Informal Neglected and in a state of disrepair: a tacky old cabin in the woods. (adjective)
  • Lacking style or good taste; tawdry: tacky clothes. (adjective)
  • Distasteful or offensive; tasteless: a tacky remark. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "tacky" in a sentence
  • "Instead, it's through the mediation of the new Capitol building's role as a cultural force -- one iconically reproduced on currency, commemorated in tacky souvenirs, and glimpsed through grubby windows from the backseats of cars -- that the presence of his future makes itself felt."
  • "Of course I have asked to be removed from the spam list, and how tacky is it to ask for a pledge less than a month after getting a gift of $100."
  • "Nicolas Cage "these days seems all too content to waste his and the audience's time in tacky genre throwaways," while Julianne Moore is "yet another performer who seems intent on breaking the hearts of the faithful.""
  • "Now my hands are all sticky, covered in tacky goop, like flypaper."