Ick
what it means
The ick is triggered by something small and specific — a way of running, a text habit, chasing a ball badly — and it usually can't be argued away once it lands.
A sudden, irreversible feeling of repulsion toward someone you were attracted to.
the origin story
Used in this sense on British reality TV, notably Love Island, and popularised widely by TikTok "the ick" videos from 2020 onward.
"Give me the ick" videos became a huge TikTok format, with creators listing absurdly specific triggers. The genre eventually produced a backlash arguing that icks are mostly a way to justify losing interest, which is now part of the discourse around the word.
in the wild
What happened, you liked him last week?
He chased the bus and I got the ick.
Biggest ick?
Typing in all lowercase but with perfect punctuation.
how to use it
- Describing an inexplicable loss of attraction
- Dating conversations with friends
- Light, self-aware content about relationships
- To someone's face about them
- About traits people can't change, which turns it cruel
- As a reason in a serious conversation about a relationship
related terms
receipts
Community feedback
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