sticky
adjective
ˈsti-kē 
stickier; stickiest
1
a
: adhesive
b(1)
: viscous, gluey
(2)
: coated with a sticky substance
2
: humid, muggy
also : clammy
3
: tending to stick
4
a
: disagreeable, unpleasant
came to a sticky end
b
: awkward, stiff
c
: difficult, problematic
a sticky situation
5
: excessively sentimental : cloying
stickily
ˈsti-kə-lē
adverb stickiness
ˈsti-kē-nəs
noun 
Synonyms
- adherent
- adhesive
- clingy
- gluey
- glutinous
- gummy
- tacky
- tenacious
- viscid
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
The sap is very sticky. There is a sticky substance on the table. The paint was still sticky. The weather was hot and sticky.
Recent Examples on the Web The small rounds cup and char before they’re drizzled with Mike’s Hot Honey for sticky and intensely thoughtful slices. 
Louisa Chu, Chicago Tribune, 12 Sep. 2022 Editor Ali Francis swears by its juice trench when breaking down sticky, juicy melons and peaches. Bon Appétit, 2 Sep. 2022 Your lip balm will come in a cardboard tube, and the balm itself is hydrating without feeling sticky. Tatjana Freund, ELLE, 30 Aug. 2022 The last Friday in June began like a normal summer day in sunny Orlando, Fla.: The weather was hot and sticky; obedient crowds filed into Disney World as if on a spiritual pilgrimage. Julie Belcove, Robb Report, 28 Aug. 2022 These structures can stick to other mucins and microbes, changing the physical properties of the fluids surrounding them into a sticky and slimy substance. Omer Gokcumen, The Conversation, 26 Aug. 2022 The summer doldrums hang on, with the air feeling stagnant and sticky and hardly a breeze to cool us off. A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 26 Aug. 2022 The sail is coated with reflective aluminum that’s thinner than foil—like Saran Wrap but not sticky, Johnson says. WIRED, 20 Aug. 2022 The resulting dough was slightly sticky but quite elastic and easy to work with. Samantha Jones, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Aug. 2022 See More
Louisa Chu, Chicago Tribune, 12 Sep. 2022 Editor Ali Francis swears by its juice trench when breaking down sticky, juicy melons and peaches. Bon Appétit, 2 Sep. 2022 Your lip balm will come in a cardboard tube, and the balm itself is hydrating without feeling sticky. Tatjana Freund, ELLE, 30 Aug. 2022 The last Friday in June began like a normal summer day in sunny Orlando, Fla.: The weather was hot and sticky; obedient crowds filed into Disney World as if on a spiritual pilgrimage. Julie Belcove, Robb Report, 28 Aug. 2022 These structures can stick to other mucins and microbes, changing the physical properties of the fluids surrounding them into a sticky and slimy substance. Omer Gokcumen, The Conversation, 26 Aug. 2022 The summer doldrums hang on, with the air feeling stagnant and sticky and hardly a breeze to cool us off. A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 26 Aug. 2022 The sail is coated with reflective aluminum that’s thinner than foil—like Saran Wrap but not sticky, Johnson says. WIRED, 20 Aug. 2022 The resulting dough was slightly sticky but quite elastic and easy to work with. Samantha Jones, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
1688, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Phrases Containing sticky
Kids Definition
sticky
adjective
ˈsti-kē
stickier; stickiest
1
: tending to cling like glue : adhesive
sticky syrup
2
: coated with a substance that sticks to things
My fingers are sticky.
3
: muggy, humid
a sticky day
4
: tending to become blocked or jammed
sticky windows
sticky
adjective
1
as in adhesive
tending to adhere to objects upon contact both sides of the tape are sticky, making it a little tricky to work with Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- adhesive
- gluey
- gummy
- glutinous
- adherent
- clingy
- tacky
- gooey
- viscous
- tenacious
- viscid
- gelatinous
- syrupy
- ropey
- ropy
- tarry
- pitchy
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- nonadhesive
- nonviscous
2
as in humid
containing or characterized by an uncomfortable amount of moisture a warm sticky day when all we wanted to do was sit somewhere with air-conditioning Synonyms & Similar Words
- humid
- damp
- moist
- wet
- muggy
- sultry
- heavy
- tropical
- steamy
- oppressive
- tropic
- clammy
- sweltering
- soggy
- subtropical
- dripping
- saturated
- summery
- suffocating
- soaked
- sodden
- torrid
- smothering
- sopping
- stifling
- subhumid
- semitropical
- dank
- stuffy
- waterlogged
- drenched
- summerlike
- soppy
- close
- soaking
- washed
- subtropic
- watery
- doused
- awash
- watered
- semitropic
- bathed
- soused
- dowsed
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- dry
- cool
- fresh
- refreshing
- crisp
- dusty
- burnt
- bracing
- arid
- dehydrated
- scorched
- baked
- thirsty
- burned
- droughty
- desert
- parched
- invigorating
- semiarid
- sunbaked
- waterless
- sere
- sear
- seared
3
as in difficult
requiring exceptional skill or caution in performance or handling an especially sticky conversation about money matters Synonyms & Similar Words
- difficult
- tough
- sensitive
- problematic
- complicated
- nasty
- tricky
- thorny
- hairy
- touchy
- delicate
- problem
- spiny
- problematical
- hard
- ticklish
- knotty
- prickly
- catchy
- dodgy
- complex
- painful
- tricksy
- serious
- troublesome
- intricate
- abstract
- stubborn
- vexing
- involved
- abstruse
- recondite
- onerous
- worrisome
- inconvenient
- oppressive
- scabrous
- vexatious
- burdensome
- troublous
- stressful
- exhausting
- importunate
- demanding
- exacting
- discommoding
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- easy
- simple
- straightforward
- uncomplicated
- painless
- unproblematic
- effortless
- manageable
- undemanding
4
as in sentimental
appealing to the emotions in an obvious and tiresome way sticky love scenes that will bore cynics to death Synonyms & Similar Words
- sentimental
- sloppy
- wet
- gooey
- fuzzy
- drippy
- sugary
- cloying
- mushy
- slushy
- soupy
- saccharine
- fruity
- soppy
- sugarcoated
- sappy
- maudlin
- mawkish
- corny
- schmaltzy
- spoony
- lovey-dovey
- spooney
- nostalgic
- soapy
- dreamy
- moony
- chocolate-box
- novelettish
- sudsy
- moonstruck
- insipid
- melodramatic
- vapid
- watery
- tasteless
- feel-good
- misty-eyed
- cutesy
- starry-eyed
- flat
- soap-operatic
- twee
- soft-boiled
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- unvarnished
- unsentimental
- unadulterated
- cynical
- antisentimental
- hardheaded
- hard-edged
- hard-boiled