ticky-tacky

1 of 2

noun

variants or less commonly ticky-tack
plural ticky-tackies also ticky-tacks
: sleazy or shoddy material used especially in the construction of look-alike tract houses
also : something built of ticky-tacky

ticky-tacky

2 of 2

adjective

variants or less commonly ticky-tack
1
: of an uninspired or monotonous sameness
2
3
: built of ticky-tacky

Examples of ticky-tacky in a Sentence

Adjective her house is full of ticky-tacky figurines
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Noun
Lisa Jones, Michol Murray and Pualani Spurlock-Welsh whistled the players for a total of 37 — many incredibly ticky-tacky — fouls. Ann Killion, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 Apr. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Noun

reduplication of tacky

First Known Use

Noun

1962, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1964, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ticky-tacky was in 1962

Dictionary Entries Near ticky-tacky

Cite this Entry

“Ticky-tacky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ticky-tacky. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!