Tacky Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
1
: not having or exhibiting good taste: such as
a : marked by cheap showiness : gaudy b : marked by lack of style : dowdy
Synonyms
Examples of tacky in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebAdjective
Bravo joins in on calling the aesthetic tacky and cheap and dwells on the moral impurities the aesthetic resembles. —
Aneliza Ruiz, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024
This product is light but just tacky enough to be effective.
— Barbara Bellesi Zito, Peoplemag, 16 Oct. 2023
Ignore the tacky title; the majority of the people Motz writes about are neither killers nor driven by an excess of love.
— Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024
Jeff is a buffoon, always setting off his shrill, tacky wife Susie (Susie Essman).
— TIME, 2 Feb. 2024
Kitsch is a slang word with German origin that's typically used to describe something viewed as gaudy or tacky due to being overly eccentric or sentimental.
— Cori Sears, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Jan. 2024
Most of the tacky T-shirt and souvenir stores have moved on to other sectors of town.
— Sacramento Bee, 30 Jan. 2024
Too little water and the resulting foam has a gluey, tacky texture that’s not pleasant to rub against your face.
— Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 23 Jan. 2024
In the film a band called Black Roses tease their hair high, play tacky instruments poorly, and tour in a fleet of Lamborghinis.
— Stephen Deusner, SPIN, 22 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tacky.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Adjective (1)
Adjective (2)
tacky a low-class person
First Known Use
Adjective (1)
1788, in the meaning defined above
Adjective (2)
1862, in the meaning defined at sense 2a
Time Traveler
The first known use of tacky was in 1788
Dictionary Entries Near tacky
Cite this Entry
“Tacky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tacky. Accessed 20 Mar. 2024.
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Merriam-Webster unabridged