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
Ultimately, Franco jettisons his characters for the sake of unearned plot twists that leave the viewer feeling only icky.
—
Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2026
Cosell, for want of a better word, could be icky, especially around young actresses.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 16 Feb. 2026
Let that be a recommendation for those who aren’t shy about these things, which run the gamut from eye-poppingly (or, as audiences will soon learn, eye-twistingly) icky, very impressive, and even occasionally playful.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2026
Who among us hasn’t put off icky things such as a tedious work assignment, a fridge deep clean or a difficult conversation?
—Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for icky
Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2026
Cosell, for want of a better word, could be icky, especially around young actresses.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 16 Feb. 2026
Let that be a recommendation for those who aren’t shy about these things, which run the gamut from eye-poppingly (or, as audiences will soon learn, eye-twistingly) icky, very impressive, and even occasionally playful.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2026
Who among us hasn’t put off icky things such as a tedious work assignment, a fridge deep clean or a difficult conversation?
—Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for icky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for icky
Adjective
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Along the way there are medical emergencies, a drug trip, a private jet to a private Hot Chip concert somewhere mountainous and snowy, some unpleasant business with a dog, heartfelt conversations and existential crises.—
Robert Lloyd,
Boston Herald,
19 Apr. 2026
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The spandex-blend material is ultra-stretchy, and there’s no unpleasant digging or pinching courtesy of the zipper- and button-free design.—
Izzy Baskette,
PEOPLE,
18 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The idea is to use places, such as Antarctica and space, as real-world testbeds where technologies can be proven under genuinely harsh conditions, like extreme cold, isolation, limited logistics, and high system reliability requirements.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Apr. 2026
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And scientists that have been working on the data have been able to pinpoint that maybe that was the cause of a very harsh winter over Europe that happened in 2010.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Usually a team of elegant offense, Michigan instead clanked 13 triples off the rim and relied on its inside defensive ferocity to win a game nearly as aesthetically unpleasing as UConn’s 53-41 win over Butler in 2011.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
7 Apr. 2026
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Rosemary makes one of the best companion plants for apple trees because of its strong scent that's unpleasing to critters looking to snack on a juicy red apple.—
Ashlyn Needham,
The Spruce,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The combination of a shaky bullpen and even worse infield defense harmed the Twins multiple times during the team’s current four-game losing streak.—
Dan Hayes,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2026
-
To be unreasonable is to be a bad survivalist.—
Nikhil Krishnan,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The duo made up for the absence of Wembanyama, who did not clear concussion protocol after a nasty fall knocked him out early from a Game 2 loss.—
Christian Clark,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Lomu did not fit the typical profile Mike Vrabel seeks in linemen, players with a nasty streak and fierce play demeanor.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
As their mutual competitiveness grows shockingly ugly, Niall learns to turn Ruben’s Samsonian strength and fury against him, knocking down the pillars of Ruben’s own life.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
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Rudy Gobert followed his inspired Game 2 effort against Nikola Jokic by stifling the three-time MVP again on an ugly 7-for-26 shooting night, and the Timberwolves established a postseason franchise record by allowing the Nuggets just 11 points in the tone-setting first quarter.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The tom yum spicy-and-sour noodle soup with lemongrass is as bold as ever.—
Bud Kennedy,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Timur receives Hoja in an extremely sour and defensive mood.—
Perin Gürel,
The Conversation,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
On that horrible day, Dad was outside his vehicle supervising a ditch cleaning operation when a driver ignored traffic control devices, drove through a closed lane, and struck him, pinning him between two vehicles.—
Allysson Bornt,
New York Daily News,
19 Apr. 2026
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And every family has that annoying uncle that makes horrible jokes or one situation after another.—
Lexi Lane,
PEOPLE,
18 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Icky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/icky. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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