plasticky

1 5.2

Having the look or feel of cheap plastic

adjective
/ˈplæstɪki/

Informal

: plástico

The toy was bright and colorful, but it felt very plasticky and cheap.
cheap and plasticky
feels plasticky

Everything's very plasticky and not in a good way.

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Examples

If you like a plasticky wand, you cannot do any better than this.
I'll give the Samsung devices I've used over the last few years credit - they might feel "plasticky," but they're built well and, when they work, they work well.

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And but it's got a more plasticky finish to it.
OK, so this includes a cable again, very plasticky and cheap feeling.
Almost like they look plasticky or kind of artificial, like they were covers, not real eyes.
Everything's very plasticky and not in a good way.

Fix This Build That
So it has a kind of plasticky feel with a textured grip.

Molly Burke
We have this very plasticky, cheapy component.

Manny Mua
The scent of it is very overwhelming, like a plasticky, sterile kind of medical scent.
It doesn't feel cheap or plasticky in your hands.

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Synonyms

cheap

vsplasticky

168 5.6

Very showy with bright colors or too many decorations

implies an artificial synthetic feel instead of only gaudiness

tacky

vsplasticky

Informal

76 4.3

Showy in a cheap way that looks bad

describes a fake, synthetic texture rather than being merely showy

trashy

vsplasticky

Informal

39 3.7

Cheap and low quality that looks ugly or not stylish

emphasizes a synthetic appearance rather than general cheapness

cheesy

vsplasticky

Informal

20 4.3

Looks low quality and cheaply made, like a plastic toy

focuses on an artificial synthetic surface rather than general shoddiness

junky

vsplasticky

Informal

8 4.8

Poor quality and likely to break quickly

has an artificial surface feel rather than only being poorly made

schlocky

vsplasticky

Informal

1 9.1

A thing that is cheap and badly made and shows little taste

has an artificial material feel rather than merely poor craftsmanship

rubbishy

vsplasticky

1 7.0

Cheap and poorly made

highlights a false synthetic feel rather than just low value

Antonyms

natural

∞ 1.0

Not made or changed by people, coming from nature like sunlight

authentic

236 3.8

Something that is real and trustworthy, not a fake

How Artificial

plasticky

Informal

1 5.2

synthetic

Specialized

10 5.3

manufactured

23 2.1

processed

72 2.9

natural

∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

plasticky positive

plastickier comparative

plastickiest superlative

Morphology

plasticky = plastic (transparent) = plastic + y

The adjective is formed by adding the productive suffix '-y' to 'plastic', yielding 'having the qualities of plastic', which is straightforward for learners.

Etymology

Plasticky comes from plastic, a word that first meant 'able to be shaped' and later named the man-made material we call plastic, and the ending -y means 'like' or 'having the quality of'. So, plasticky means 'like plastic' and often describes something that looks or feels cheap or artificial.