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
Flight Risk Rated R for some really disturbing threats, icky violence and a lot of bad language.
—
Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025
The best cleansers for a stainless-steel range hood All the grease from your stovetop likely goes up and settles on top of your range hood, leaving an icky film of gunk.
—Katherine McLaughlin, Architectural Digest, 9 Jan. 2025
The icky parts are discarded, and then the giblets, a nutritious bundle of odds and ends that are still good to eat, are tucked back into the cavity for safekeeping.
—Catherine Jessee, Southern Living, 23 Nov. 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
See All Example Sentences for icky
Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025
The best cleansers for a stainless-steel range hood All the grease from your stovetop likely goes up and settles on top of your range hood, leaving an icky film of gunk.
—Katherine McLaughlin, Architectural Digest, 9 Jan. 2025
The icky parts are discarded, and then the giblets, a nutritious bundle of odds and ends that are still good to eat, are tucked back into the cavity for safekeeping.
—Catherine Jessee, Southern Living, 23 Nov. 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
See All Example Sentences for icky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for icky
Adjective
-
With the present geopolitical situation and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, landmines are making a very unpleasant comeback.—
David Szondy,
New Atlas,
10 Apr. 2025
-
In our testing, the formula feels like a gel-serum—and doesn't get heavy, gloopy, or otherwise unpleasant.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Hope reigns even in this harsh political climate we Americans are now experiencing.—
Bea L. Hines,
Miami Herald,
17 Apr. 2025
-
Even if investors are slightly more confident this week, after Trump backed off most of his harshest tariff rates, the changes in people’s life-style habits serve as their own kind of affective barometer.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
16 Apr. 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
-
That means more time for Rojas, who has shown more bad than good to begin this season.—
Matt Gelb,
New York Times,
18 Apr. 2025
-
The first questions from out-of-staters are, 'How bad are the hurricanes?—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Switching out a pump in a pit filled with raw sewage is nasty work.—
Tim Carter,
Hartford Courant,
12 Apr. 2025
-
The bear is back and things may stay nasty for the rest of 2025.—
Brett Owens,
Forbes.com,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Everyone knew it, especially when some San Francisco Giants batters took ugly hacks against it in the first inning.—
Matt Gelb,
New York Times,
18 Apr. 2025
-
Win that one, too, of course, and the No. 1-seed Cleveland Cavaliers and the best record in the NBA Eastern Conference would await to very likely only elongate the end for this Heat season and end it ugly. Do not expect a play-in to the Finals miracle run like Miami pulled off two years ago.—
Greg Cote,
Miami Herald,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The New York Fed’s latest Survey of Consumer Expectations data released Monday added more glum outlooks to the growing pile of sour sentiment readings from Americans at a time when unpredictable federal policies have caused uncertainty and recession fears to spike.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
14 Apr. 2025
-
That’s the only sour taste in Sutton’s world these days.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
These were disgusting, irresponsible comments by someone who is charged with overseeing public health for hundreds of millions of people.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Apr. 2025
-
Do not tell the patient disgusting hospital stories about your own operations or procedures.—
Marla Jo Fisher,
Oc Register,
2 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Icky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/icky. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share