tacky — showing poor taste and quality; cheap and gaudy
Part of speech: ADJECTIVE
Definition: showing poor taste and quality; cheap and gaudy
Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈtæki/
Example Sentences
- My grandmother's living room is full of tacky plastic flowers and gold-painted everything.
- He thought the leopard print car seat covers were stylish, but everyone else found them tacky.
- The glue is still tacky, so wait a few more minutes before handling it.
tacky
ADJECTIVE[/ˈtæki/]
showing poor taste and quality; cheap and gaudy
Cheap, gaudy fashion sense
Wacky sequins on khaki - so tacky!
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
Originating in 19th-century American English, 'tacky' initially described something sticky or adhesive, likely from the noun 'tack' (a small nail or pin). By the mid-20th century, the term underwent semantic shift to denote poor taste, vulgarity, or aesthetic cheapness, metaphorically evoking the clingy, difficult-to-remove quality of inexpensive adhesive materials.
Breakdown
tack (a small nail or fastener) + -y (adjective suffix meaning 'having the quality of'). The suffix transforms the noun into an adjective, originally meaning 'sticky or adhesive like a tack,' later extending to 'tasteless or gaudy.'
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My grandmother's living room is full of tacky plastic flowers and gold-painted everything.”
“He thought the leopard print car seat covers were stylish, but everyone else found them tacky.”
“The glue is still tacky, so wait a few more minutes before handling it.”
“Wearing a tuxedo to a beach picnic would look pretty tacky.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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