TICS Synonyms: 57 Similar and Opposite Words

tics

noun

Definition of tics next

plural of tic

as in tricks

an odd or peculiar habit constantly playing with her hair is one of her more annoying tics

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

conformities

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of tics Tourette syndrome is a neurological condition that may cause involuntary movements and vocal tics, sometimes involving outbursts of inappropriate language, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. —

Mason Leib, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026 During the first 30 minutes of the show, Davidson repeatedly issued loud, involuntary vocal tics that were clear to those in the audience and on clips later circulated on social media. —

Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 8 Apr. 2026 Brooks is still wont to assume that social crises are a function of our personal habits, not economic or political injustice, and his methodological tics are the same as ever. —

Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026 Once Ida is revived, Buckley is rife with tics and guttural asides, switching between rat-a-tat mobster slang and Shelley’s flowery English prose like some postmodern literary Gollum. —

David Sims, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2026 In the mid-2010s, Young Thug borrowed from Future’s melodic blueprint, only for Future to co-opt Thug’s avant-garde vocal tics to get even weirder in his own right. —

Serge Selenou, Pitchfork, 3 Mar. 2026 Davidson’s Tourette’s causes involuntary tics, and he was heard cursing throughout the show, however the BBC failed to censor the N-word during its broadcast, causing further harm. —

Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2026 Davidson has coprolalia, where one’s involuntary tics are offensive and inappropriate. —

Bethy Squires, Vulture, 1 Mar. 2026 Deadline journalists sat towards the back of the room said the N-word and other slurs were audible, as were gasps when Davidson made his involuntary tics. —

Max Goldbart, Deadline, 27 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tics

Noun

Small visual tricks are ubiquitous yet nothing here feels tacky.

— Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
There are likely between 20,000 and 50,000 species of mycorrhizal fungi, each with its own tricks for tapping into different plants and harvesting nutrients using enzymes, acids, and water-mining structures.

— Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 6 Apr. 2026