too tacky
1
6.9
- adjective
- Informal
- And the REM song, Losing My Religion, unless you think it's too tacky for church.
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Watch on YouTubeThey're just the punks way out and sneakers too tacky for me to walk about.
- They're just the punks way out and sneakers too tacky for me to walk about.
Examples
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She decided against wearing the dress because it looked too tacky for the formal event.
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I feel like it might come across as too tacky with the dark...?
Blog text (4) -
I was also thinking a stretch limo outside the prison gates, is that too tacky?
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They're just the punks way out and sneakers too tacky for me to walk about.
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The decorations at the party were too tacky, with bright colors and overly flashy designs.
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His choice of bright, clashing patterns made his outfit too tacky for the upscale restaurant.
Synonyms
168
5.6
Very showy with bright colors or too many decorations
82
4.6
Feels too sentimental and silly, like a movie or card
76
4.3
Showy in a cheap way that looks bad
60
4.1
Very bright or showy in a way that attracts attention
39
3.7
Cheap and low quality that looks ugly or not stylish
24
7.8
A thing that looks showy but is cheap and low quality
20
5.5
Very bright and showy in a way that looks bad
14
6.7
Very bright and showy in a way that hurts the eyes
11
4.8
A bright, showy look that tries to impress people
9
8.2
Too sentimental or brightly decorated and not in good taste
3
7.4
Showy in a way meant to attract attention
2
9.6
Having a very showy, overly decorated style
1
9.1
A thing that is cheap and badly made and shows little taste
1
7.4
Showy and cheap in a way that looks low quality
1
4.7
Having too many things to make it look pretty so it feels crowded or showy
1
7.3
Too decorated so it looks showy and not natural
1
8.2
Having small decorative details that are unnecessary
Antonyms
How Tacky
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'too' is a degree adverb meaning 'excessively' and 'tacky' means 'gaudy or lacking good taste', so 'too tacky' straightforwardly means 'excessively tacky'. This pattern of adverb + adjective is a standard, cross-linguistic construction and would be predictable to a B1 learner who knows both words.
Etymology
Too tacky comes from the idea of tacky meaning slightly sticky, like paint or glue that still feels wet. People began to call clothes or decorations that looked cheaply made or badly put together 'tacky', so too tacky now means 'too cheap or in bad taste'.