/ English Dictionary |
STICKY
Pronunciation (US): | (GB): |
I. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Having the sticky properties of an adhesive
Synonyms:
gluey; glutinous; gummy; mucilaginous; pasty; sticky; viscid; viscous
Classified under:
Similar:
adhesive (tending to adhere)
Derivation:
stickiness (the property of sticking to a surface)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Covered with an adhesive material
Classified under:
Similar:
adhesive (tending to adhere)
Derivation:
stickiness (the property of sticking to a surface)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Hard to deal with; especially causing pain or embarrassment
Example:
in the unenviable position of resorting to an act he had planned to save for the climax of the campaign
Synonyms:
awkward; embarrassing; sticky; unenviable
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
difficult; hard (not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Example:
sticky weather
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
wet (covered or soaked with a liquid such as water)
Sense 5
Meaning:
Moist as with undried perspiration and with clothing sticking to the body
Example:
felt sticky and chilly at the same time
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
wet (covered or soaked with a liquid such as water)
Derivation:
stickiness (the property of sticking to a surface)
Context examples:
Typically, it's caused by poor oral hygiene, which allows plaque, a sticky film of bacteria, to build up on the teeth.
(New Link Found between Alzheimer's & Gum Disease Bacteria, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
The result is an improper salt balance in the cells and thick, sticky mucus.
(Diagnosing cystic fibrosis with wearable devices, NIH)
In a study of mice, scientists discovered that both may need the assistance of a ‘sticky’ gene, named after a mythological figure, called Shisa7.
(‘Sticky’ gene may help Valium calm nerves, National Institutes of Health)
“This makes the grains so sticky and cohesive that only heavy winds can move them. The prevailing winds aren’t strong enough to shape the dunes.”
('Electric Sands' Cover Titan, VOA News)
The air was sticky and humid, and the rain-squalls were unrefreshing.
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
The scientists 3D printed the bioreactor out of silicon and filled it with hydrogel — a sticky glob of polymers.
(Scientists Help Frogs to Regenerate Their Limbs with Bioreactor Device, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
The researchers reported inventing a coating good at resisting substances that are sticky and vary profoundly in viscosity across their mass—like human fecal matter.
(Materials scientists invent new coating for self-cleaning, water-efficient toilets, Wikinews)
Oil also can spread in the water, join with the water to form a thick substance that is like hair mousse, sink, or form into sticky tar balls.
(Oil Spills, NIH)
This glue remains both sticky and flexible and works even when the surface the slug is on is wet.
(New studies may bring slug-made glues closer to use in medicine, Wikinews)
These include: • Pancreatitis, or inflammation of the pancreas: This happens when digestive enzymes start digesting the pancreas itself • Pancreatic cancer • Cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder in which thick, sticky mucus can also block tubes in your pancreas
(Pancreatic Diseases, NIH)