Tacky means cheap-looking, tasteless, or showing poor judgment about what looks good. A tacky decoration might be a plastic pink flamingo in the front yard or a lamp covered in fake jewels and feathers. Tacky clothes might be a shirt with too many clashing patterns or shoes with excessive, gaudy sparkles that don't match anything.

The word describes things that try too hard to be fancy or eye-catching but end up looking cheap instead. A tacky party might have mismatched decorations thrown together without thought, or it might pretend to be elegant while using decorations that look cheap or silly. Something tacky can also describe rude or embarrassing behavior, like when someone brags constantly about their possessions or tells embarrassing stories about their friends to get attention.

Calling something tacky is usually a criticism, but people sometimes enjoy tacky things ironically. A family might laugh about their tacky old vacation souvenirs, or friends might throw a deliberately tacky party where everyone wears the most ridiculous outfits they can find. The key difference is self-awareness: knowing something is tacky and enjoying it anyway is very different from thinking your tacky decorations are actually sophisticated.

The word can also describe something sticky, like fresh paint or glue that's starting to dry but still feels tacky to the touch, though this meaning is less common.