tack·y

1 [tak-ee]

Origin:
1780–90; tack1 + -y1

tack·i·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged

tack·y

2 [tak-ee]
adjective, tack·i·er, tack·i·est.
1.
not tasteful or fashionable; dowdy.
2.
shabby in appearance; shoddy: a tacky, jerry-built housing development.
3.
crass; cheaply vulgar; tasteless; crude.
4.
gaudy; flashy; showy.

Origin:
1880–85, Americanism; apparently identical with earlier tack(e)y small horse, pony, poor farmer; of obscure origin

tack·i·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To tacky
00:10
Tacky is always a great word to know.
So is gobo. Does it mean:
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
Collins
World English Dictionary
tacky or tackey1 (ˈtækɪ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj , tackier, tackiest
slightly sticky or adhesive: the varnish was still tacky
 
[C18: from tack1 (in the sense: stickiness)]
 
tackey or tackey1
 
adj
 
[C18: from tack1 (in the sense: stickiness)]
 
'tackily or tackey1
 
adv
 
'tackiness or tackey1
 
n

tacky2 (ˈtækɪ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj , tackier, tackiest
1.  shabby or shoddy
2.  ostentatious and vulgar
3.  (US) (of a person) dowdy; seedy
 
[C19: from dialect tacky an inferior horse, of unknown origin]
 
'tackiness2
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

tacky
"sticky," 1788, from tack (1) in the sense of "an act of attaching temporarily."

tacky
"in poor taste," 1862, adj. use of tackey (n.) "small or inferior horse" (1800), later "hillbilly, cracker" (1888), of uncertain origin.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

tacky definition


  1. mod.
    cheap; crude. : That was a tacky thing to do to her.
  2. mod.
    alcohol intoxicated. : Tom was a little tacky, so he gave me his car keys.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
The game itself looks cheap and tacky at best, though.
Place the sprayed tacky piece of paper behind the web and gently bring it into
  contact with the web.
While adhesive is still tacky, set stone fragment in place.
The souvenirs might be a bit on the tacky side, but you'll discover plenty of
  intriguing items in these lively markets.
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