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
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
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
For a bonus dig at the dawn of the grunge era, the hair and makeup team give Nigel (Damon Herriman) an icky, trendy chin-strap goatee.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 24 Dec. 2024
But once again, the look is accentuated with Carrey’s quiet flashes of icky yellow incisors.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for icky
Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2024
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
For a bonus dig at the dawn of the grunge era, the hair and makeup team give Nigel (Damon Herriman) an icky, trendy chin-strap goatee.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 24 Dec. 2024
But once again, the look is accentuated with Carrey’s quiet flashes of icky yellow incisors.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for icky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for icky
Adjective
-
These days however, an all-white or all-gray bathroom can act as an unpleasant symbol of an outdated trend, and may seem seriously lacking in pizazz.—
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
25 Feb. 2025
-
This can be an unpleasant odor for humans to encounter, but the critters in the video seem enthusiastic about interacting with the eau de skunk.—
Amanda Kooser,
Forbes,
25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The 79-year-old Oscar winner embraces the challenging role of the Dutton family matriarch alongside co-star Harrison Ford, confronting everything from mountain lions to the harsh realities of frontier life.—
Holly Williams,
CBS News,
28 Feb. 2025
-
Unlike Western cleansers, which often rely on harsh surfactants or astringent ingredients, Korean ones maintain the skin’s moisture barrier and natural pH balance, says Cho.—
Denise Primbet,
Glamour,
28 Feb. 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
-
The state of our budget and our debt is bad for the country and bad for working families.—
Charlotte Alter,
TIME,
28 Feb. 2025
-
And if that wasn’t bad enough, in extremely rare circumstances, neurologic fallout from measles is delayed, showing up 7 to 10 years post-infection as subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, a degenerative disease that is ultimately fatal, Dr. Lovins says.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Poles needs to find difference-makers, nasty offensive linemen, game-wrecking defensive linemen, ravenous pass rushers … again, the Bears have a lot of needs.—
Jon Greenberg,
The Athletic,
26 Feb. 2025
-
Meanwhile, Stacey woke up with a nasty hangover from the night prior.—
Abigail Adams,
People.com,
25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Or the constitutional dystopia in which we are now caught, beside which even the ugliest onscreen villainy pales into insignificance?—
Justin Chang,
The New Yorker,
28 Feb. 2025
-
The advanced metrics paint an ugly picture for the Suns as well over that span: 114.0 OffRtg (11th), 117.3 DefRtg (27th), -3.2 NetRtg (21st).—
Evan Sidery,
Forbes,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Residents of Wisconsin drink brandy in their official state cocktail, the brandy old fashioned, which is different from a traditional old fashioned in that cherries, oranges, bitters, sugar and brandy are muddled together before being topped with sweet or sour soda.—
Jeanette Hurt,
Forbes,
26 Feb. 2025
-
Altman, with his tunnel vision on AI, seems unlikely to affect or sour Trump and Musk’s ideological bond and attempt to reshape the federal government.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The desire to avoid portraying her character’s actions as simply disgusting led de Van to play the lead role herself, in spite of the challenges that created for her as a first-time feature director.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
27 Feb. 2025
-
Selena Gomez has called out 'disgusting' weight shame As a former child star who grew up in the public eye, Gomez has long been subjected to conversations surrounding her weight.—
Jay Stahl,
USA TODAY,
27 Feb. 2025
Articles Related to icky
Cite this Entry
“Icky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/icky. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share