icky

adjective

ˈi-kē How to pronounce icky (audio)
Definition of ickynext
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

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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 that’s the icky turmoil that comes with politics at the dinner table. — Erik Piepenburg, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2025 Life's unknowns are frustrating and tedious and just downright icky. — Nick Suss, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024 However, for a cultural icon of Chappelle’s caliber, with his demonstrated capacity to advocate for marginalized groups, for someone like that to consistently reduce the trans community to icky, screechy scolds right as their very existence is being legislated away is a waste and a disgrace. — Joe Berkowitz, Vulture, 19 Jan. 2025 There’s something too literal, too icky, too reminiscent of actual in-school gun violence about this whole part. — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2024 See All Example Sentences for icky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for icky
  1. unpleasant
  2. harsh
  3. unpleasing
  4. bad
  5. nasty
  6. ugly
  7. sour
  8. disgusting
Adjective
  • As horrible, unpleasant, miserable this work was, people had the most wonderful spirit.
    — Ari Daniel, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Apr. 2025
  • Euphemisms are designed to obfuscate unpleasant truths.
    — Zachariah Mampilly, Foreign Affairs, 1 Apr. 2025
Definition of unpleasant
Adjective
  • Designed for hiking and other outdoor adventures, these water-resistant pants are made with UPF 50 protection from harsh sun rays along with several spacious, handy pockets.
    — Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 22 Mar. 2025
  • Trump’s election confirmed, to some on the Left, that the country really was as bad as some of their harshest rhetoric suggested.
    — Alexander Nazaryan, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 21 Mar. 2025
Definition of harsh
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
Definition of unpleasing
Adjective
  • The most common reason a cruise ship skips a port is bad weather.
    — David Nikel, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
  • Netflix has now officially been in operation for over a quarter of a century and in that time have largely upended the traditional business models around film and television, for better and worse.
    — Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 23 Mar. 2025
Definition of bad
Adjective
  • His other performances included as Robert De Niro’s nasty henchman in Michael Mann’s Heat (1995); as Marlon Brando’s insane assistant in John Frankenheimer’s The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996) and as the suave crook Simon Templar in Phillip Noyce’s The Saint (1997).
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 2 Apr. 2025
  • The veteran forward took a nasty fall with 3:21 left in the fourth quarter, landed hard on his tailbone, and spent minutes down on the court surrounded by teammates and coaches.
    — C.J. Holmes, New York Daily News, 30 Mar. 2025
Definition of nasty
Adjective
  • Four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome had form on the bike that was frequently described as ugly.
    — Liam Tharme, The Athletic, 23 Mar. 2025
  • Plus, with fewer games, an ugly two weeks in the NBA usually signals a five-alarm fire and overreactions.
    — Shane Young, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
Definition of ugly
Adjective
  • Their somewhat symbiotic friendship turns sour when Genovese orders a hit on the former, turning the streets of New York into a duplicitous battleground for survival.
    — Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 20 Mar. 2025
  • But things quickly went sour following the walk-off RBI from Prairie View A&M’s Trenton Bush.
    — Scott Thompson, Fox News, 19 Mar. 2025
Definition of sour
Adjective
  • Using that platform to engage in partisan attacks and accuse former Department leadership of weaponizing law enforcement is a disgusting betrayal of those values.
    — Mark Davis, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2025
  • Continue reading … ‘PRO-CRIMINAL’ – Blue state sheriff unloads on 'disgusting' bill targeting the right to self-defense.
    — Fox News, Fox News, 11 Mar. 2025
Definition of disgusting

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Cite this Entry

“Icky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/icky. Accessed 7 Apr. 2025.

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