tack ‧ y /ˈtæki/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Sense 1-2: Date: 1800-1900 ; Origin: tacky 'horse in poor condition' (1800-1900) . ]
[ Sense 3: Date: 1700-1800 ; Origin: ⇨ ↑ tack 1 ]
1 . if something is tacky, it looks cheap or badly made, and shows poor taste:
tacky ornaments
2 . especially American English showing that you do not have good judgment about what is socially acceptable:
It’s kind of tacky to give her a present that someone else gave you.
3 . slightly sticky:
The paint’s still slightly tacky.
—tackily adverb
—tackiness noun [uncountable]