Clammy describes something that feels cold, damp, and slightly sticky to the touch, like the skin of a frog or a basement wall on a humid day. When your hands feel clammy, they're cool and moist in an uncomfortable way that makes you want to wipe them on your pants.

People's skin often becomes clammy when they're nervous, sick, or scared. Before giving a presentation, you might notice your palms getting clammy. Someone with the flu might have clammy skin because their body is fighting the illness. The word captures that unpleasant, cold-sweat feeling that's different from the warm sweat you get from running around outside.

Objects can be clammy too. A wet swimsuit left in a bag overnight turns clammy. A sandwich wrapped in plastic on a hot day might feel clammy on the outside. The word almost always suggests something unpleasant: nobody wants to shake a clammy hand or sleep on clammy sheets. When you say something feels clammy, you're describing both a physical sensation and the slightly gross feeling that can come with it.