yucky

IPA/ˈjʌki/
KK[jˈʌki]IPA/ˈjʌki/

yucky — adjective

  • yuckypositive
  • yuckiercomparative
  • yuckiestsuperlative

1. looking, tasting, or smelling so bad that you do not want to touch, eat, or be n

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

looking, tasting, or smelling so bad that you do not want to touch, eat, or be near it; mainly used by or to children, or in casual speech.

Example

Layla refused the soup because the green skin floating on top looked yucky.

predicative: looked / tasted / felt yucky

Kabir wiped a yucky lump of chewed gum off the bottom of his sneaker.

attributive: a yucky [noun]

Common collocations
  • looks yucky
  • tastes yucky
  • smells yucky
  • a yucky smell
  • a yucky taste
  • a yucky mess
Synonyms
  • gross

    also informal; very common in American English, similar child/teen register

  • disgusting

    neutral register; stronger and usable in formal writing

  • icky

    informal, even more child-coded than yucky; emphasises slimy or sticky feel

  • revolting

    stronger and more adult; suggests something almost makes you sick

Antonyms
  • yummy

    the matching child-register opposite, mainly about food

  • delicious

    about food, neutral register

  • lovely

    general positive; works for smells, sights, and feelings

Usage Note

Informal, child-centred register: parents, kids, and casual speech use it; avoid in formal writing or reviews. Common in predicative position ('it looks/tastes/smells yucky') and attributive ('a yucky smell').

Common Mistakes

The report's conclusions were yucky.
The report's conclusions were unpleasant.
yucky is informal and physical (look, taste, smell, touch); don't use it for abstract qualities like ideas, conclusions, or arguments.
a yuckily designed poster
an ugly poster
there is no standard adverb form; use a different word for aesthetic judgements.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All five words describe something so unpleasant that you want to avoid touching, tasting, or smelling it, but the register and force differ. 'Yucky' and 'icky' are the most child-coded — a parent saying 'don't touch, that's yucky' to a toddler, or kids reacting to a slimy worm. 'Icky' leans more toward sticky, slimy textures, while 'yucky' covers smells and tastes too. 'Gross' is the casual all-purpose word among older kids, teens, and adults in informal speech: 'that's gross.' 'Disgusting' is neutral in register and works in formal writing, news, or reviews. 'Revolting' is the strongest — it suggests the thing almost makes you sick. So you might say a toddler finds broccoli yucky, a teenager finds it gross, and a restaurant critic might call a badly cooked dish disgusting or even revolting.

yucky ↗gross ↗disgusting ↗icky ↗revolting ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • really yucky
  • totally yucky
  • kind of yucky

Phrases

  • look yucky
  • taste yucky
  • smell yucky
  • feel yucky

Etymology

English (imitative)American English

An American English coinage from the mid-twentieth century, built on the interjection 'yuck' (an expression of disgust, like saying 'ugh' or 'eww'), with the everyday English adjective ending '-y'. The same '-y' suffix turns 'sleep' into 'sleepy' and 'mess' into 'messy'. The word started in children's speech and family talk, then spread into casual adult use; it has stayed informal and is still rarely seen in formal writing.