TICS Synonyms: 57 Similar and Opposite Words

tics

noun

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

Relevance

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 This week, after the billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmiller published an editorial in The Wall Street Journal criticizing Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, his onetime protégé, readers began to notice some familiar tics of AI writing. — Will Oremus, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2026 Cage plays Roy, a gifted con artist with obsessive-compulsive disorder whose tics, phobias and elaborate rituals have turned his immaculate home into a fortress against the world. — Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026 The first four episodes retain most of the novel’s key incidents and tics. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 5 Aug. 2026 Show your unique speaking style For decades, communication coaches counseled clients to ruthlessly eliminate verbal tics and awkward pauses. — Matt Abrahams, Time, 5 Aug. 2026 Mocking each other’s writing tics became part of the fun, just as challenging each other to go darker and twistier was part of the adventure. — Scott Westerfeld, PEOPLE, 19 July 2026 After surgery, that device is programmed to send mild electrical impulses that block abnormal nerve signals and dramatically reduce tics. — Gabby Sartori, USA Today, 3 July 2026 There are linguistic tics and habits that give away formerly Amish people immediately. — Eythana Miller, The Dial, 23 June 2026 Nadal, with a wink, recites the various physical tics involved in his serving routine. — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 29 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tics

Noun

Some of his bar inventions, for instance, were less grand thematic ideas and simply tricks to keep patrons indoors and ordering.

— Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
Treister had a smart sense of humor, often performing magic tricks for anyone who would come over to his home, his family said.

— Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of tricks

Noun

In a sprightly performance rife with oddball mannerisms, Gnecco gives Borges equal parts impish wisdom, earthy vulgarity and childlike wonder, rarely letting a moment’s silence go unfilled with eager chatter.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 29 Aug. 2026
Says strange things and has funny little mannerisms, but within lies a devastatingly sharp mind which can produce something special that people will be talking about for years.

— Tim Spiers, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of mannerisms

Noun

The article notes the overlap between emotional intelligence and psychopathy; while EQ is lauded, psychopathic traits can surprisingly predict career success due to charm and appearing calm under pressure.

— Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Craig was extremely productive at Harvard and has NFL-caliber traits with his size, mobility and throw power.

— Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of traits

Noun

Like so many quirks of British culture, Highlands tourism owes a debt to the royals.

— Hayley Maitland, Vogue, 31 Aug. 2026
The English Understand Wool is skillful, funny, and exposes, through twists and turns, the quirks and peculiarities of the privileged, of celebrity, and the publishing world.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of quirks

Noun

Directly transferring the original walking policy failed because the second robot had different body proportions, joint configurations, and motor characteristics.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026
According to the team, each of those characteristics plays out similarly in real fish of various sizes across different ecological niches.

— Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of characteristics

Noun

The personal eccentricities of the two leads, along with their odd-couple vibe, provide most of the show’s humor, but the best reason to watch is Taylor, who shows both stars how it’s done, by stealing the show from under their feet.

— Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Recently, though, a wave of UK properties have started to embrace the kinds of cultural eccentricities that Greco saw as lacking in those hotels.

— Dipal Acharya, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of eccentricities

Noun

There’s no better way to quickly learn a person’s idiosyncrasies than living with them.

— Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
If LRMs can supercharge mathematics research the way AlphaFold did for computational biology, this line of thinking goes, why not embrace them, idiosyncrasies and all, and just verify the results?

— John Pavlus, Quanta Magazine, 31 July 2026