Standard Lemma guide

gooey

adj · noun · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈɡuːi/
  • General-American: /ˈɡui/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • homophone: GUI
  • rhymes with -uːi
  • CMU ARPABET: G UW1 IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal

Examples

  • gooey liquid covered the floor
  • The cookies, soft and gooey, proved a smash hit at the party.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: goolike, ooey-gooey, oozy

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Emotional or sentimental, especially to an excessive extent; mushy, soppy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: maudlin, mawkish, treacly, bathetic, cheesy, squishy, corny, drippy, gooey, hokey, icky, kitsch, kitschy, mushy, overemotional, oversentimental, overwrought, sappy, schmaltzy, sickly sweet, slushy, soppy, soupy, syrupy

Antonyms: unemotional, unsentimental

3

adj

Meaning 3

Distasteful, unpleasant.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, figuratively, informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: abhorrant, abhorrent, bad, sickly, bum, vile, demonic, disagreeable, disgusting, distasteful, foul, rancid, fulsome, gooey, grim, gro, grody, gross, grotty, harsh, loathsome, munted, nasty, nauseous, offensive, obnoxious, obscene, rank, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, scabrous, sickening, strident, unpleasant

Antonyms: acceptable, agreeable, amiable, charming, comely, nice, pleasant, pleasing, welcome

4

noun

Meaning 4

A thing which is soft or viscous, and sticky.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A person who is regarded as weak or worthless; a fool.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dated, derogatory, figuratively, informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: absolute zero, assbucket, asswipe, badling, blatherskite, bugger, carrion, cipher, cockstain, crumb, custron, dandiprat, doink, dirtbag, douchebag, drop kick, fellow, fritlag, fuckbucket, geek, good-for-naught, good-for-nothing, gooey, hoon, lidderon, losel, loser, louse, maggot, ne'er-do-well, nobody, no-good, no-mark, nonentity, nonce, nought, nowmun, pelf, pig dog, pile of shit, pissant, punk, puny, quat, ramp, rinky-dink, roly-poly, scullion, shicer, shitheap, slubberdegullion, sparrow-fart, streak of piss, toerag, truant, twerp, wankstain, waste of space, underperson, unworthy, zero

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

A person who favours closer relationships with other people and less structured settings, rather than formal, organized settings; also, an educational approach, curriculum, etc., which is less structured.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, figuratively, informal

Topics: education, human-sciences, psychology, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: prickly

7

adjective satellite

Meaning 7

soft and sticky

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: icky

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English burgood Proto-Germanic *bermô? Proto-West Germanic *bermō Old English beormader. Welsh burym Proto-Indo-European *keh2ulisder. Latin caulisbor. Proto-Brythonic *kawl Middle Welsh cawl Welsh cawl ? Persian برغولder. Persian پرغولder. Arabic بُرْغُل (burḡul)der.? Proto-Indo-European *ǵews- Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Indo-European *ǵéwstus Proto-Italic *gustus Latin gustus Middle French goûtder. Middle French ragoûterder. French ragoûtbor. English ragout? English burgoo? Proto-Indo-European *gleyH- Proto-Indo-European *glóh1ytn̥ Proto-Italic *gloiten Latin glūten Late Latin glūs Old French glubor. Middle English glew English glue? English goo Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -ey English gooey The adjective is derived from goo + -ey (a variant of -y (suffix forming adjectives with the sense ‘having the quality of’)). The noun is derived from the adjective.

Across languages

Translations

43 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Central Bikol: mapulot — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • Bulgarian: лепкав (lepkav) — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • Bulgarian: кашест (kašest) — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • Dutch: kleverig — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • Dutch: papperig — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • Dutch: slijmachtig — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • Dutch: visceus — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • Dutch: zacht — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • Finnish: mönjäinen — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • Finnish: tahmainen — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • Finnish: tahmea — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • French: gluant — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • German: klebrig — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • German: zähflüssig — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • Greek: γλοιώδης (gloiódis) — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • Māori: piapia — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • Māori: ware — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • Plautdietsch: bakrich — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • Portuguese: gosmento — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • Portuguese: melequento — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • Rarotongan: piapia — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • Serbo-Croatian: гње̏цав — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • Serbo-Croatian: љи̏гав — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • Serbo-Croatian: gnjȅcav — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • Serbo-Croatian: ljȉgav — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • Spanish: ajonjoso — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • Spanish: baboso — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • Spanish: ligamazoso — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • Spanish: lirioso — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • Spanish: mantecoso — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • Spanish: masacotudo — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • Spanish: mazacotudo — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • Spanish: melificado — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • Spanish: melifluo — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • Spanish: pegachento — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • Spanish: pegajoso — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • Spanish: vescoso — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • Spanish: viscoso — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • Swedish: geggig — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • Swedish: kletig — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • Tamil: கொழகொழ (koḻakoḻa) — having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky
  • Finnish: tahmainen — thing which is soft or viscous, and sticky
  • Finnish: vähemmän muodollinen opetusratkaisu — educational approach, curriculum, etc., which is less structured