as in unpleasant
not giving pleasure to the mind or senses
the novel has an icky sentimentality that makes my skin crawl
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Recent Examples of icky
But apart from Berger ending things with Carrie via Post-it, there’s nothing more icky than a boyfriend plagued by jealousy over his partner’s success.
—
Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 10 Nov. 2025
The five blades are cloaked in aloe soap for a close, soothing shave, and the handle comes with a magnetic mount that fends off icky rust and sticks to the shower wall for easy access.
—Annie Blackman, Allure, 9 Oct. 2025
The eye midge may have implanted itself elsewhere and there’s no telling where those other icky creatures from Prodigy’s labs have scurried off to, but those are questions that will no doubt be answered once/if FX announces a second season.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2025
That icky moment was indeed a truth from Mescal, which O'Connor easily divined.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for icky
Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 10 Nov. 2025
The five blades are cloaked in aloe soap for a close, soothing shave, and the handle comes with a magnetic mount that fends off icky rust and sticks to the shower wall for easy access.
—Annie Blackman, Allure, 9 Oct. 2025
The eye midge may have implanted itself elsewhere and there’s no telling where those other icky creatures from Prodigy’s labs have scurried off to, but those are questions that will no doubt be answered once/if FX announces a second season.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2025
That icky moment was indeed a truth from Mescal, which O'Connor easily divined.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for icky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for icky
Adjective
-
Using a speaker outside the stall results in reverb and echoing as the music bounces around the bathroom walls, making the sound muddy and unpleasant.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Given the lack of gravity, even a runny nose can turn into an extremely unpleasant experience, forcing astronauts to resort to unusual measures just to drain mucus from their nasal passages.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
There's a lot of harsh words and harsh things that get said about people.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Applying it at the base of the plant before the first frost can protect the roots from harsh cold and keep the soil from freezing.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
7 Nov. 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
-
Iran is facing its worst drought in decades, raising fears of evacuations in Tehran while threatening the regime’s stability and nuclear ambitions, according to a leading environmental expert.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Keeping bad things out of my body.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
The growth of passive investing, through index funds found in the 401(k) accounts of average Americans, has propped up the stock market while also potentially setting it up for a nasty fall.—
Mark Dent,
HubSpot,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Instead of this stuff that's raised overseas that's done in ways that doesn't have any checks, that it's got polluted water, it's being fed really nasty stuff, full of antibiotics, full of chemicals.—
Dan Morrison,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Not because the moms themselves are toxic people, but because the dynamic shifts into an ugly place with mean-girl behavior.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Sure, coach Mike Tomlin's teams tend to win ugly games, but not in the playoffs — at least not lately.—
Austin Mock,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Underdo it, and your dish could be too dry or sour.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Everyone's a little sad in The Holdovers, Alexander Payne's charmingly sour comedy about a student stuck at his New England boarding school over the holidays with only his grouchy professor (Paul Giamatti) and the school cook (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) for company.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Are there horrible smells wafting around?—
Clio Chang,
Curbed,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Jimmy Kimmel was horrible, and some of these people.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Icky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/icky. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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