# gooey

/ˈɡui/ (US) · /ɡˈuːi/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/gooey
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. sticky and soft

adjective · CEFR B2 · Informal

soft and sticky in a way that is often pleasant, like warm cake or glue.

For teachers: having a viscous, adhesive, or semi-fluid consistency.

- The children loved the gooey chocolate brownies fresh from the oven.
- The mechanic emerged from under the chassis covered in a gooey mixture of old engine oil and road grit.

### 2. very sentimental

adjective · CEFR B2 · Informal

showing too much emotion or being very 'sweet' in a way that feels silly.

For teachers: excessively sentimental or emotional in a manner that may be perceived as cloying.

- I can't watch those gooey romantic movies where everyone is perfect.
- The couple exchanged gooey glances across the dinner table, oblivious to the growing discomfort of their companions.

### 3. unstructured education

adjective · CEFR C2 · American English · Informal · Technical

describing a style of teaching that is very relaxed and not strictly organized.

For teachers: pertaining to an educational philosophy or curriculum that prioritises interpersonal relationships and soft skills over rigid academic structure.

- Some parents prefer a gooey curriculum that focuses on feelings rather than tests.
- Critics of the new pedagogical model dismissed it as a gooey approach that lacked the rigour necessary for secondary education.

Usage: In educational psychology, this is often used pejoratively by proponents of traditional instruction.

### 4. a sticky substance

noun · CEFR C1 · Informal

a thing or substance that is soft and sticky.

For teachers: a substance characterised by a viscous or adhesive consistency.

- There was some strange green gooey on the bottom of my shoe.
- The spill had dried into a thick, stubborn gooey that required industrial solvents to remove from the laboratory floor.

## Examples

- The melted chocolate is very gooey and sticky.
- The children were covered in gooey mud after the storm washed through the park.
- The chef carefully tempered the sugar to ensure the caramel remained gooey enough to stretch without breaking, yet firm enough to hold its shape on the cake.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.