ick

The ick is a sudden feeling of disgust or turn-off toward someone you were attracted to, often triggered by something small. Once you get the ick, it is very hard to un-see.

What does the ick mean?

You like someone, everything is going well, and then they do something, chase a dropped ping-pong ball, clap when the plane lands, say “nom nom” while eating, and your attraction just switches off. That is the ick. It is usually irrational and often funny, which is part of why people love sharing their icks online.

You can “get the ick” from someone, and a person or habit can “give you the ick.”

How to use it

• “He ran for the bus with his backpack bouncing and I got the ick.”
• “Calling his mom ‘mommy’ at 30 gave me the ick.”
• “What’s the weirdest ick you’ve ever had?”
• “I tried to ignore the ick, but it was over.”

Where it comes from

The earliest known use of “the ick” in this romantic sense comes from a 1998 episode of Ally McBeal. It got a big boost in 2017 when Love Island contestant Olivia Attwood talked about getting the ick, and it went viral on TikTok around 2020, where people now share long lists of their icks. Merriam-Webster has since added it to its slang dictionary.

Ick vs. red flag

A red flag is a genuine warning sign about someone’s behavior. An ick is a personal, often silly turn-off. Getting the ick doesn’t mean the other person did anything wrong.

Related terms

• red flag: a warning sign
• beige flag: a quirky, neutral trait
• green flag: a good sign
• cringe: embarrassing to watch
• ghosting: what some people do after getting the ick

See more terms like this in our dating slang dictionary.