as in sticky
tending to adhere to objects upon contact
walked barefoot through adhesive, clayey mud
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in glue
a substance used to stick things together
prefers postage stamps coated with adhesive so that she doesn't have to do any licking
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of adhesive
Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 26 Feb. 2026
The adhesive works at room temperature, but sticks even better when the glue is heated up with a hair dryer.
—Jakob Schiller, Outside, 25 Feb. 2026
Daniel Modlin, Architectural Digest, 5 Mar. 2026
The cleaning pro explains that the oil softens the adhesive in sticky messes, and the baking soda provides some gentle scrubbing ability.
—Maria Sabella, The Spruce, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for adhesive
Adjective
Short for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation, a TENS machine typically relies on adhesive skin pads that channel low-voltage current to zap muscles and deep tissue.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 26 Feb. 2026
The adhesive works at room temperature, but sticks even better when the glue is heated up with a hair dryer.
—Jakob Schiller, Outside, 25 Feb. 2026
Noun
Add additional rows of blocks, staggering them over the previous layer and using construction adhesive between rows.
—Daniel Modlin, Architectural Digest, 5 Mar. 2026
The cleaning pro explains that the oil softens the adhesive in sticky messes, and the baking soda provides some gentle scrubbing ability.
—Maria Sabella, The Spruce, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for adhesive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adhesive
Adjective
-
Equal parts creature feature and Florida noir, Mermaid is sticky, sunburned, and defiantly strange.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Maurer imagines blending the fungi with Martian or lunar dirt; their sticky mycelia would cement it into an extraterrestrial equivalent of particle board.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Redd, especially, has become one of the team’s foremost culture-setters and behind-the-scenes leaders, a proverbial glue guy who doesn’t often show up in box scores but always shows up in practices or meetings.—
Andrew Carter,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
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At one of these gatherings trouble broke out over girls, glue-sniffing, and hassles caused by confusion over membership in the various branches of the organization.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Europe’s regulatory environment and environmental standards could also pose a disproportionate burden for local farmers adherent to the laws, farmers have said.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
9 Jan. 2026
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This particular kit is well-stocked, featuring classic first aid essentials like non-adherent pads, gauze, triple antibiotic ointment and BZK antiseptic wipes.—
Jessie Quinn,
USA Today,
15 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Adhesive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adhesive. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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