stickyadjective
uk/ˈstɪk.i/us/ˈstɪk.i/sticky adjective (NOT DRY/SMOOTH)
B1 made of or covered with a substance that stays attached to any surface it touches:
a sticky mess
sticky fingers
The floor's still sticky where I spilled the juice.
The children's faces were sticky with chocolate.
Compare
non-stick
stuck adjective
If the weather is sticky, it is very hot and the air feels wet.
More examples
- He'd left sticky fingermarks all over the glass.
- The sauce was now a sticky mass at the bottom of the pan.
- There's sticky stuff all over the chair.
- You've got sticky little hands!
- The bottom of the plate felt sticky.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Glues, gluing & stickiness
- adhere
- adherent
- adhesion
- adhesive
- Blu-Tack
- cement
- epoxy resin
- fixative
- gloop
- glue
- gluey
- gum
- gummed
- gummy
- honeydew
- plaster
- propanone
- putty
- slimy
- tacky
See more results »
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Sultriness & humidity
sticky adjective (DIFFICULT)
informal difficult:
There were a few sticky moments during the meeting, but everything turned out all right in the end.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Complicated and difficult to do
- advanced
- ambitious
- another
- arduous
- as much as you can do idiom
- fiddly
- fiendish
- fierce
- formidable
- get blood out of/from a stone idiom
- painstaking
- picnic
- problematic
- punishing
- rigorous
- unwieldy
- uphill
- vexed
- wearing
- wearying
See more results »
sticky adjective (NOT WILLING)
UK informal unwilling to agree:
Their bank manager was sticky about lending them the money they wanted to borrow.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Unwilling and reluctant
- arsed
- balk
- baulk
- be blowed if... idiom
- be in no mood for sth/to do sth idiom
- begrudge
- deign
- disinclination
- disinclined
- disobliging
- drag your heels/feet idiom
- fag
- indisposed
- jib
- not have the heart to do sth idiom
- not have the stomach for sth idiom
- rather you than me idiom
- reluctance
- reluctant
- stomach
See more results »
sticky adjective (BUSINESS)
used to describe a website or shop where people like to spend a long time:
Big media groups are drawn to social networking sites because of their "sticky" nature.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Staying and remaining
- closeted
- halt
- hang
- hold
- hold sb over
- keep to somewhere
- leave
- remaining
- residual
- rest
- sit tight idiom
- sojourn
- stand
- stay
- stop
- stop in
- tarry
- vestigial
- wait
- wait behind
See more results »
Idiom(s)
come to/meet a sticky end
have sticky fingers