English Reference
Adjective

tacky

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US /ˈtæki/ UK /tˈæki/ tacky

adj.cheap, low quality, or showing bad taste. You use this to describe things that look a bit ugly or embarrassing because they are not elegant.

adj.showing a lack of style or good taste; cheaply made or gaudy. Often used to describe decorations, clothing, or behavior that is considered socially inferior or aesthetically unrefined.


SIMPLE

The plastic gold frames look a bit tacky.

CONTEXTUAL

She thought the bright neon signs and cheap souvenirs made the historic street look tacky.

COMPLEX

While some found the over-the-top wedding decorations charming, others dismissed the entire event as a tacky display of wealth without any real elegance.

Usage

Often used predicatively after linking verbs like 'look', 'feel', or 'seem'.


Etymology 1

From tack + -y.

Etymology 2

Sense “in poor taste” from 1888, from earlier sense meaning shabby or seedy. Also see tackey (“neglected horse”), Southern US colloquialism from 1800s, later extended to people.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Occasional
Updated