as in unpleasant
not giving pleasure to the mind or senses
the novel has an icky sentimentality that makes my skin crawl
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of icky
But once again, the look is accentuated with Carrey’s quiet flashes of icky yellow incisors.
—
Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2024
Although the actual ending was a bit on the icky side, but maybe that’s just me.
—Ollie Barder, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024
Animal production requires more resources, like water and land, and leads to icky outputs, like sewage and greenhouse gasses.
—Suzy Forman, SELF, 21 Nov. 2024
Best Water-Resistant Coat: Lululemon Hooded Mid-Length Utility Jacket Courtesy of brand
15/16
Lululemon Hooded Mid-Length Utility Jacket
$198 $149
Lululemon
This comfortable and oversized utility jacket pick is great for all kinds of icky weather like rain, sleet, or snow.
—Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 29 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for icky 
Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2024
Although the actual ending was a bit on the icky side, but maybe that’s just me.
—Ollie Barder, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024
Animal production requires more resources, like water and land, and leads to icky outputs, like sewage and greenhouse gasses.
—Suzy Forman, SELF, 21 Nov. 2024
Best Water-Resistant Coat: Lululemon Hooded Mid-Length Utility Jacket Courtesy of brand
15/16
Lululemon Hooded Mid-Length Utility Jacket
$198 $149
Lululemon
This comfortable and oversized utility jacket pick is great for all kinds of icky weather like rain, sleet, or snow.
—Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 29 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for icky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for icky
Adjective
-
Investors were greeted with unpleasant inflation data on Tuesday.—
Michael Khouw,
CNBC,
13 Feb. 2025
-
The steam emanating from the hot oats began to cook the egg whites, which gave the dish an unpleasant scrambled egg-like texture.—
Ashia Aubourg,
Outside Online,
6 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The protest was not politically motivated, but demonstrations in the country can sometimes lead to political unrest under the harsh regime.—
Brie Stimson,
Fox News,
16 Feb. 2025
-
The delays follow the National Weather Service (NWS) issuing a warning over harsh weather for residents of Huntersville and Gastonia in North Carolina, which is also affecting the Charlotte Douglas Airport.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
16 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Smears on non-sensor areas of the tiara are like bug debris on your hood, aesthetically unpleasing but not harmful.—
Eric Tegler,
Popular Mechanics,
1 Oct. 2019
-
His side's inability to finish off the game against Burnley on the other hand was very unpleasing.—
SI.com,
SI.com,
1 Feb. 2018
Adjective
-
The weather was bad enough that MassDOT dropped the speed limit on the pike and forbid tandem trucks from the road.—
Matthew Medsger,
Boston Herald,
17 Feb. 2025
-
There have been worse trades than the one that sent Luka Dončić from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, along with Max Christie and a future first-round draft pick.—
Louisa Thomas,
The New Yorker,
16 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
What follows is a twisted game of house where familiar familial relationships crumble and new ones take root like nasty black weeds.—
M.L. Rio,
New York Times,
14 Feb. 2025
-
Eagles edge rusher Josh Sweat had the splashiest individual stat line with 2.5 sacks, but a crew of nasty defensive tackles wrought devastation versus the run and the pass.—
Tim Graham,
The Athletic,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Since winning at Boise State on Jan. 4 and blowing out Air Force at home four days later, the season had become a grind – a double-digit loss at New Mexico, a rare home loss against UNLV, a string of ugly wins against the Mountain West’s bottom-feeders after overcoming dangerously large deficits.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Feb. 2025
-
With 23 seconds left and USC up one on Minnesota in an ugly, ugly basketball game, Golden Gophers head coach Ben Johnson clamored to the officials for a timeout.—
Luca Evans,
Orange County Register,
15 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The veggie rolls were paired with a tasty sweet and sour sauce.—
Kim Bojórquez,
Axios,
14 Feb. 2025
-
Ed Sheeran’s impromptu gig on Church Street hit a sour note as Bengaluru police pulled the plug over missing permissions.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
10 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
That’s crazy to me: divine love shown to us through a disgusting and emaciated corpse hanging on a tool of execution.—
Mike Lowenberg,
Twin Cities,
7 Feb. 2025
-
What happens when a social influencer builds her entire rep on a disgusting lie?—
Randy Myers,
The Mercury News,
6 Feb. 2025
Articles Related to icky
Thesaurus Entries Near icky
Cite this Entry
“Icky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/icky. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share