yucky

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈjʌk.i/ UK /ˈjʌk.i/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
disgusting, unpleasant, or distasteful (informal)

The medicine left a yucky taste in his mouth.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · disgusting, unpleasant, or... disgusting gross repulsive nastyickydistasteful

Opposites

pleasant delightful yummy appealing

Word family

Derived forms yuckiness

Related forms yuck

Etymology

From yuck (an imitative exclamation of disgust) + -y; first attested in the mid-20th century, of onomatopoeic origin.

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives Register & Style

External links

# yucky

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈjʌk.i/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈjʌk.i/

## Meanings
1. disgusting, unpleasant, or distasteful (informal)

## Examples
- The medicine left a yucky taste in his mouth.

## Synonyms
- disgusting
- gross
- repulsive
- nasty
- icky
- distasteful

## Antonyms
- pleasant
- delightful
- yummy
- appealing

## Derived Forms
- yuckiness

## Related Forms
- yuck

## Etymology
From yuck (an imitative exclamation of disgust) + -y; first attested in the mid-20th century, of onomatopoeic origin.

## AI Etymology
Yucky comes from yuck (an imitative exclamation of disgust) + -y; first attested in the mid-20th century, of onomatopoeic origin. In current use it is an adjective meaning "disgusting, unpleasant, or distasteful (informal)". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The surface form is compositional: its joined elements remain visible in the modern word. Related English forms include yuck. A derived form is yuckiness. The word's history is thus visible in its construction: the components remain interpretable even after the whole expression has settled into a conventional English meaning.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives
- Register & Style

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