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
Wryly tender and respectfully told, director John Duigan's coming-of-age romance is a warm and fuzzy confection that stops short of being icky.
—
Michelle Kung, EW.com, 18 Aug. 2025
Here’s where things could get really icky for consumers: Right now, the lion’s share of cost pressures aren’t even coming from tariff-sensitive goods.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2025
The researchers noted ginger can help to settle the gastrointestinal tract and prevent stomach contractions that can trigger that icky nausea feeling.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 13 Aug. 2025
That said, those action-horror scenes are pleasurably icky.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for icky
Michelle Kung, EW.com, 18 Aug. 2025
Here’s where things could get really icky for consumers: Right now, the lion’s share of cost pressures aren’t even coming from tariff-sensitive goods.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2025
The researchers noted ginger can help to settle the gastrointestinal tract and prevent stomach contractions that can trigger that icky nausea feeling.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 13 Aug. 2025
That said, those action-horror scenes are pleasurably icky.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for icky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for icky
Adjective
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Its natural deodorizing properties help neutralize the unpleasant smells associated with pets, according to Stein.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
1 Nov. 2025
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The 75-year-old ginkgo trees have been wafting the unpleasant smell into the air at the Northern California park, forcing residents to brave the stench that is comparable to vomit, The Sacramento Bee and SFGATE report.—
Natalia Senanayake,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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There's a lot of harsh words and harsh things that get said about people.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
8 Nov. 2025
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Keeping bad things out of my body.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
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This was one of the ugliest matches in recent memory; a game that, in isolation, only those fond of trench warfare could love.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
10 Nov. 2025
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Things got a little ugly for Pretty Little Liars star Shay Mitchell this week.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Underdo it, and your dish could be too dry or sour.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
9 Nov. 2025
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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
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The New York native collected Golden Globe and Spirit awards for her performance as the title character, an aging Czechoslovakian actress forced to take a stand-in job in a horrible off-Broadway play, in Anna.—
Mike Barnes,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Nov. 2025
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Gano opening up about this comes on a horrible day for the football world after Dallas Cowboys second-year linebacker Marshawn Kneeland died by suicide at the age of 24.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Icky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/icky. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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