adjective, stick·i·er, stick·i·est.
- having the property of adhering, as glue; adhesive.
- covered with adhesive or viscid matter: sticky hands.
- (of the weather or climate) hot and humid: It was an unbearably sticky day.
- requiring careful treatment; awkwardly difficult: a rather sticky diplomatic problem; Breaking the news is going to be sticky.
- Informal. unpleasant; unfortunate; nasty: The villain of the story meets a sticky end.
noun, plural stick·ies.
- one of a number of small sheets of paper on a pad, each having an adhesive backing that allows it to be positioned and repositioned on smooth surfaces.
adjective stickier or stickiest
- covered or daubed with an adhesive or viscous substancesticky fingers
- having the property of sticking to a surface
- (of weather or atmosphere) warm and humid; muggy
- (of prices) tending not to fall in deflationary conditions
- informal difficult, awkward, or painfula sticky business
- US informal sentimental
- (of a website) encouraging users to visit repeatedly
verb stickies, stickying or stickied
- (tr) informal to make sticky
noun plural stickies Australian informal
- short for stickybeak
- an inquisitive look or stare (esp in the phrase have a sticky at)
adj.1727, “adhesive,” from stick (v.). An Old English word for this was clibbor. First recorded 1864 in the sense of “sentimental;” 1915 with the meaning “difficult.” Of weather, “hot and humid,” from 1895. Sticky wicket is 1952, from British slang, in reference to cricket.