Ick can be a sound of disgust, or slang for a sudden turn-off in dating.
What does the ick mean?
The ick is a sudden feeling of repulsion toward someone who had seemed attractive.
Is it a ick or an ick?
The standard form is an ick, because ick begins with a vowel sound.
Can ick be plural?
Yes. Small turn-offs can be called icks, as in my biggest icks.
Is ick formal?
No. Ick is informal and fits casual speech, texting, and slang contexts.
Is ickiness the same as ick?
Ickiness means a gross or unpleasant quality, while ick is a disgust sound or a dating turn-off.
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Fluffy Kudu
Jul 15
In my English class we learnt ew/yuck, nobody taught ick, but films taught it in one second
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Earnest Macaw
Jul 11
Is this one mostly young people? I said the ick at work and half the room stared at me.
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Pearl Raven
Jul 11
i still cant say it without making the face first
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Swift Weasel
Jul 3
The page maybe should mention the gross-stuff noun too. People say there was ick in the drain or wipe the ick off the dog's eye, meaning actual nasty gunk, not a feeling.
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Frosty Gibbon
Jul 8
yes, that use is very parent/pet-owner English to me
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Silent Duck
Jun 23
for grammar learners: the common phrases are give someone the ick, get the ick, catch the ick. I would understand "that icked me out" too, but "I icked at the smell" sounds like a learner invented it.
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Marble Seal
Jul 2
also ick list is normal online now, like my top 5 icks
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Crisp Iguana
Jun 21
An ick and a red flag are not the same thing. If someone is cruel to a waiter, I would just call that a red flag. An ick is more like seeing them clap when the plane lands and your attraction quietly dies, unfair but real lol
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Violet Bison
Jun 23
tbh people use ick for both now, which is why it gets messy
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Rapid Trout
Jun 18
the dating meaning feels very UK reality-TV/TikTok to me, not old dictionary English. My aunt in Ohio still hears ick as just ew, but my younger cousins all know catch the ick from clips
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Happy Ocelot
Jun 19
yeah in London it was Love Island vocab before it was everywhere
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Crimson Mole
Jun 20
same, in the US I mostly saw it after TikTok made lists of icks a thing