adj Uncommon

tacky

TA-kee

Tacky (adj) means cheap-looking, gaudy, or in poor taste. Example: “The souvenir shop was full of tacky plastic keychains.”

adj

Cheap-looking, gaudy, or in poor taste.

"The souvenir shop was full of tacky plastic keychains."

"She thought the neon sign looked tacky outside such an elegant restaurant."

Slightly sticky to the touch, as paint or glue that has not fully dried.

"Check that the varnish is no longer tacky before adding another coat."

How to Use Tacky

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishEither cheap and tasteless, or slightly sticky depending on context.

Common pairings

tacky decorations still tacky to the touch tacky souvenirs

tackier comparative, tackier comparative, tackiest superlative, tackiest superlative

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Test yourself on “tacky” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Can you complete this real example?

The souvenir shop was full of _____ plastic keychains.

From "tack" (in the sense of stickiness) plus the adjective ending "-y."

wacky Jacky hacky blacky

What does “tacky” mean?

The word “tacky” means cheap-looking, gaudy, or in poor taste. In plain terms, either cheap and tasteless, or slightly sticky depending on context.

How do you pronounce “tacky”?

“Tacky” is pronounced TA-kee (/ˈtæki/ in IPA).

How do you use “tacky” in a sentence?

Here is “tacky” used in a sentence: “The souvenir shop was full of tacky plastic keychains.”

What part of speech is “tacky”?

“Tacky” is an adjective.

Is “tacky” a common word?

“Tacky” is an uncommon word in modern English.

How many meanings does “tacky” have?

“Tacky” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: cheap-looking, gaudy, or in poor taste.