1
as in inappropriate
marked by an obvious lack of style or good taste
it was tacky to wear sneakers to the wedding tacky plastic flowers
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dilapidated
showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect
a tacky old couch that needed new upholstery
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in adhesive
tending to adhere to objects upon contact
don't touch the walls while the fresh paint is still tacky
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tacky
Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2026
Roll each piece between your palms until round, smooth, and a bit tacky but not gooey.
—Jessica Saari Christensen, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Apr. 2026
Not the typical tacky amusement park with cigarette-smoking carnies indifferently pulling the levers on rides battered from being hauled from place to place.
—Mark Lane, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
Small visual tricks are ubiquitous yet nothing here feels tacky.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tacky
Adjective
Sports franchises everywhere can be tacky, rapacious, incompetent, extortionate, and otherwise exploitative, but only because their customers, the fans, are essentially captives.
—Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2026
Roll each piece between your palms until round, smooth, and a bit tacky but not gooey.
—Jessica Saari Christensen, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Apr. 2026
Not the typical tacky amusement park with cigarette-smoking carnies indifferently pulling the levers on rides battered from being hauled from place to place.
—Mark Lane, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
Small visual tricks are ubiquitous yet nothing here feels tacky.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tacky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tacky
Adjective
-
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said at a news conference that Hill’s conduct was inappropriate but ultimately harmless.—
Abigail Brooks,
NBC news,
14 May 2026
-
On April 12, former congressman Swalwell, 45, suspended his campaign for governor of California after multiple women accused him of inappropriate behavior ranging from sending lewd, unwanted messages to drugging, raping and choking them.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
An operating license for a dilapidated Boba tea kiosk displays a 2024 expiration date.—
Audrey Pachuta,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
-
Zaragoza stationed his men on the high ground, hidden behind cacti, behind walls of dilapidated forts, in ditches.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
4 May 2026
Adjective
-
The adhesive material also maintained stable performance after six months in storage.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
15 May 2026
-
Besides proving out helium-3 extraction methods, another hurdle for Interlune’s Prospect Moon will be enduring the moon’s corrosive, adhesive lunar dust.—
Robin George Andrews,
Scientific American,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
Brown some breakfast sausage, saute the peppers and onions, and pour into your casserole dish along with a cheesy egg mixture.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
14 May 2026
-
As Kristen gets sicker, the film hits other cancer movie beats like a trip up the coast to a snowy mountain, complete with Kristen, AJ, her brother, and their friend taking cheesy photos all along the way.—
Marya E. Gates,
IndieWire,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
Focus on problems that are big, urgent and neglected.—
ByBryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2026
-
Cinematographer Guillermo Garza shoots neglected settings like fine art, embracing the grime.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Belonging to the same group of mammals as sloths and anteaters, armadillos are voracious insectivores that eat large numbers of beetles, grubs, ants, termites, and other insects, grabbing them with their sticky tongues.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
19 May 2026
-
If a creature is small enough to swallow and not spiny or sticky or otherwise resists Yoshi's tongue, it will be turned into a green egg that's the series standard.—
Will Greenwald,
PC Magazine,
19 May 2026
Adjective
-
There are significant worries that AI can readily go off the rails or otherwise dispense unsuitable or even egregiously inappropriate mental health advice.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
-
The treatments were carried out at Ali’s semi-detached home in Leicester, which was described by investigators and witnesses as unsanitary and unsuitable for clinical care, the news outlet reported.—
Angelique Brenes,
PEOPLE,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
Certain people enjoy going to that trashy wing and sitting there, and some people don’t.—
Rebecca Ford,
Vanity Fair,
11 May 2026
-
Fine jewelry has been separated from the trashy costume stuff.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tacky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tacky. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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