Ickier

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. A state of being unpleasantly sticky or slimy, often evoking a sense of disgust or distaste
2. Characterized by an increased level of unpleasantness or unappealing qualities that provoke aversion
3. Describing something that is not only sticky but also off-putting, causing a feeling of discomfort or unease

Etymology: "Ickier" is simply the comparative of "icky," so it means "more icky," and the adjective's own history is the part worth telling. "Icky" is a baby-talk corruption of "sick," shaped by the same playful habit that turns other childish words into cute, sing-song forms. Its earliest recorded use in the 1930s, in American English, came from the earlier term "icky-boo," which dates to around 1920 and meant sickly or nauseated. The earlier term has an odd twist. "Icky-boo" was said to come from a sentimental expression for jazz music, which suggests the baby-talk sense of illness and the enthusiasm for a fashionable new music were tangled together in the slang of the period. That tangle has long since faded, and "icky" now serves mainly as a light, childlike word for anything gross or unpleasant.

Synonyms: stickier, slimer

Antonyms: cleaner, neater