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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Example Sentences
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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
-
An open box will absorb unpleasant smells in your bathroom for up to four months.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
-
Though a person infected with the virus may experience unpleasant symptoms, others may be asymptomatic.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
The table tells a harsher story.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 May 2026
-
The girls’ mother, who traveled to appear in court Thursday with Doe 8, called for a harsh punishment and described how O’Connor, once in Idaho, helped sneak out Doe 8 to see her son, at one point provided them a hotel room.—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
The remarks not only referred to the aesthetics of the game – tedious matches devoid of skillful merit that were unpleasing to watch.—
Cesar R. Torres,
The Conversation,
26 May 2026
-
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
Adjective
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But that’s made even worse by the fact that a significant portion of these observational studies did not even have a comparison group.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
1 June 2026
-
The views over the city aren’t bad either.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 June 2026
Adjective
-
Flu season may be mostly behind us, but a nasty, highly contagious stomach bug is rising.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
29 May 2026
-
Rhaenyra is suddenly dealing with internal criticism, possible rebellions, subjects spray-painting nasty stuff on the walls and self-doubt.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
Lemieux was 37, and had a reputation as one of those players who knew where to be, and when, around the ugly areas on the ice in a playoff game.—
Mac Engel
May 29,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 May 2026
-
We, viewers and voters, are subjected to very ugly photographs and rhetoric.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
It can be described as a combination of pineapple with a hint of strawberry and sour citrusy notes, says Morales.—
Kirsten Nunez,
Martha Stewart,
28 May 2026
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The only real sour note on the night came in the fifth inning when Hernandez departed with a left oblique injury.—
Doug Padilla,
Oc Register,
27 May 2026
Adjective
-
His slugging percentage is horrible.—
Nick Canepa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 May 2026
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Some of it had to do with horrible tragedy, some because hopefuls could not see the math working out for them.—
Deputy Managing Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Icky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/icky. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.
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