Yukky

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Having a quality that causes dislike or disgust because it is unpleasant in taste, smell, appearance, or nature
2. Describing something that evokes strong negative reactions due to its offensive or disagreeable characteristics
3. Characterized by features that make it disagreeable or repellent to the senses or feelings

Etymology: The adjective comes from "yuck," an interjection of disgust. Its sound imitates the gagging noise a person makes at something repellent, so the word takes its shape from a bodily reaction rather than from a borrowed root. Adding the suffix "-y" to an interjection or noun to make an adjective is an ordinary English pattern, as in "gooey" or "messy," and it turns the exclamation into a description of whatever provokes that response. The informal spelling "yukky," with its doubled "k," follows the same informal habit of spelling out a drawn-out or emphatic sound. The form is used mostly in casual speech and writing, where it describes food, smells, or situations that are unpleasant to the senses or morally distasteful.

Synonyms: disgusting, nasty, gross

Antonyms: pleasant, delightful