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sticky

sticky

44 5.9
A difficult or embarrassing situation that needs care
  • adjective
  • /ˈstɪki/
  • Informal
translation icon : delicado
  • Committee members were nevertheless troubled by the sticky question of determining the appropriate responsibility of coauthors.
  • a sticky situation
  • a sticky problem
  • a sticky question

My name is Josh and well, I'm in a sticky situation.

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Examples

  • We found ourselves in a bit of a sticky situation.

    Air Buddies (2006)

  • That may be, but I gather it's going to be rather sticky for Jim.

    Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997)

  • Then there is the sticky issue of property rights.

  • Honey, we have kind of a sticky situation.

    The Parent Trap (1998)

  • We've got ourselves a sticky situation.

    Blink Twice (2024)

  • We had some sticky patches but I'm delighted to say we came together in the end.

    Ali G Indahouse (2002)

  • Stereotypic beliefs tend to be sticky and change slowly over time.

    Academic text (2016)

  • A particularly sticky question arose about whether a prior adulterous affair was an impediment to marriage.

    Academic text (2008)

  • We found ourselves in a bit of a sticky situation when the power went out during the meeting.

  • The discussion about the company's layoffs became a sticky topic that everyone wanted to avoid.

Synonyms

embarrassing
vssticky
496 2.4

Making someone feel awkward or ashamed

is more about being difficult to manage or causing trouble than only causing discomfort
awkward
vssticky
61 3.3

Difficult or inconvenient, often causing embarrassment

is more about social embarrassment or shame than practical inconvenience

Antonyms

easy
∞ 1.0

Not hard to do, understand, or achieve

simple
∞ 1.0

Easy to understand or do

Idioms

to meet a sticky end
  • Archaic
8.3

To die in a sudden or violent way

Compounds

sticky bun
  • US
5 1.3

A sweet baked roll covered in sticky sugar and often nuts

sticky-finger
  • Offensive
2 9.9

A person who often steals small things

sticky mess
  • Informal
1 5.5

A difficult, unpleasant situation that is hard to fix

sticky goop
  • Informal
1 5.4

A thick glue-like substance that clings to things and makes a mess

sticky aster
  • US
8.8

A small wild flower with leafy stems and bright purple petals that grows in western US hills

sticky end
  • Specialized
8.8

A short DNA end where one strand hangs out and joins a matching strand

sticky end
  • Archaic
7.7

A bad ending that often leaves someone hurt or killed

sticky-outy hairdo
  • Informal
9.1

A hairstyle with hair that stands out from the head and is easy to see

sticky geranium
  • US
8.2

A wildflower in western North America with sticky hairy stems and pinkish flowers

sticky toffee pud
  • UK
8.6

A moist sponge cake dessert with dates and warm toffee sauce

sticky-outy bangs
  • Informal
9.9

Hair at the front of the head styled to stick out from the forehead

How Difficult

intractable
22 8.7
difficult
∞ 1.6
sticky
  • Informal
44 5.9
awkward
61 3.3
tricky
214 3.9
simple
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

sticky positive

Morphology

sticky = stick (semi-transparent) = stick + y

Adjectival formation is regular, but the idiomatic sense 'awkward or difficult' is a metaphorical extension (being 'stuck' in a problem) that learners may not infer from the base word alone.

Etymology

Sticky can mean a difficult or awkward situation because it is like being 'stuck' and unable to move easily, and this sense comes from the same root stick. So a sticky problem is one that leaves you 'stuck' and unsure what to do.