gooey

adjective

goo·​ey ˈgü-ē How to pronounce gooey (audio)
gooier; gooiest
1
informal : soft, wet, and sticky
a gooey mess
With its warm, gooey goodness, this dessert will bring bananas Foster to mind.Lillian Chou
Researchers in Japan have extracted a new, gooey, and potentially useful protein from the bodies of jellyfish.S. Webb
The order might also include poutine, the gooey mass of French fries smothered in gravy and melted cheese curds that is now beginning to win fans and clog arteries outside Quebec.Charles Boberg
2
informal : excessively sweet or sentimental : cloying
gooey sentimentality
a gooey romance
Compared with the hardscrabble mountain and mill-town tale of the father, the soft-edged suburban narrative of the stepson and Bragg's relationship with him feels gooey and romanticized.Christopher Dickey
gooeyness noun informal
Ads for food in all of its present-day forms abound in glorious color—from the crackle and crunch of fast-food fried chicken to the gooeyness of a pizza's cheese … Judith Crist
I rejoice in a children's film that avoids gooeyness Richard Alleva

Examples of gooey in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web During the cold months, your lips need some TLC, and lip oils can offer many benefits such as hydrating them without leaving any sticky or gooey texture. Essence, 13 Dec. 2023 What could have been a complete gimmick was, in fact, a lovely twist on fondue — the creamy Taleggio cheese had the perfect melting texture, and was not too gooey or stringy. Judy Revenaugh, Kansas City Star, 24 Jan. 2024 That will release the starch in the rice and create a gooier consistency. Cindy Dampier, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024 Snow Days has managed to preserve all of the salty, gooey deliciousness of the pizza rolls of your youth in a more nutritious package. Carina Finn, Bon Appétit, 22 Jan. 2024 With gooey layers of mozzarella, cottage cheese, Parmesan, and mozzarella, this classic lasagna is guaranteed to be a hit with the family. Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 25 Dec. 2023 If the blondies are overly gooey in the center, give them more time to bake. Emily Nabors Hall, Southern Living, 24 Nov. 2023 Courtesy: Subway The 2023 version of the foot-long cookie, Subway says, will be gooier and have even more chocolate chips. Chris Morris, Fortune, 30 Nov. 2023 As New York Magazine reported, the allure of a social media hit is shaping the very food being served — gooier eggs, more obscene cheese, sauces exploding and gushing across a plate. Mia Sato, The Verge, 26 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gooey.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1901, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of gooey was in 1901

Dictionary Entries Near gooey

Cite this Entry

“Gooey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gooey. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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