stickier

Stickier is the comparative form of sticky, used to describe a substance or condition with a greater tendency to adhere to surfaces or objects. In everyday language, a stickier material has higher tack or a stronger sense of adhesiveness, while in texture a stickier substance feels more gummy or clingy.

The word is formed from the root stick, combined with the comparative suffix -ier. The related noun stickiness denotes the quality itself. In scientific contexts, stickiness relates to adhesive and cohesive forces at a molecular level, including surface energy, intermolecular attractions, and moisture content. Temperature, humidity, and aging can affect stickiness, increasing it in some materials (such as glue, syrup, or dough) and decreasing it in others.

In practical use, stickiness covers both physical and metaphorical senses. Physically sticky substances resist separation and require force to peel or detach. Metaphorically, a situation or negotiation can be described as stickier when it is more entangled, complex, or difficult to resolve than before. Common examples include comparing adhesives, describing humid weather as sticky, or characterizing a process that has become more convoluted due to additional constraints or parties involved.

Measurement of stickiness is often indirect, using tack tests or assessments of peel strength and adhesion under standardized conditions. While not a precise quantity, stickiness provides a useful shorthand across science, industry, and everyday speech for an object’s propensity to cling or remain unresolved.