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Shoddy vs Tacky - What's the difference?

shoddy | tacky |

As adjectives the difference between shoddy and tacky

is that shoddy is being of poor quality or construction while tacky is of a substance, slightly sticky.

As a noun shoddy

is a low-grade cloth made from by-products of wool processing, or from recycled wool.

shoddy

English

Adjective

(er)
  • Being of poor quality or construction
    • Do not settle for shoddy knives if you are serious about cooking.

    Noun

  • A low-grade cloth made from by-products of wool processing, or from recycled wool.
  • *
  • * 1988 , James McPherson, Battle Cry of Freedom , Oxford 2003, p. 324:
    • To fill contracts for hundreds of thousands of uniforms, textile manufacturers compressed the fibers of recycled woolen goods into a material called “shoddy ”.

    References

    * [http://www.leeds.ac.uk/library/spcoll/handlists/023MSBusFox.pdf]

    See also

    * rag and shoddy * mungo * noil

    tacky

    English

    Adjective

    (er)
  • Of a substance, slightly sticky.
    • This paint isn't dry yet - it's still a bit tacky.
  • (colloquial) Of low quality.
    • That market stall sells all sorts of tacky ornaments.
  • (colloquial) In poor taste.
    • That was a tacky thing to say.
  • gaudy, flashy, showy, garish
  • dowdy, shabbily dressed
  • shabby, dowdy (in one's appearance)