ick

/ɪk/

Very Common

Sudden disgust or repulsion toward someone you were previously attracted to.

Often used when the thing that causes it is objectively minor or even harmless, which is part of the joke. Saying someone gave you the ick has a light, almost self-aware tone.

Real-world examples5 examples

#	Example	What it means	Source
01	He ran to catch a bus and I got the ick. I can't explain it.	A small, harmless action triggered sudden repulsion.	tiktok, 2023
02	The ick hit me out of nowhere. He ordered for both of us without asking.	A specific behavior caused sudden loss of interest.	x, 2024
03	Once you get the ick it's over. There's no coming back from it.	The speaker believes the ick is permanent and unrecoverable.	reddit, 2023
04	He said 'thankies' and I immediately got the ick.	A word choice triggered instant repulsion.	tiktok, 2024
05	Am I wrong for getting the ick when he eats loudly?	Asking if a specific ick trigger is reasonable.	reddit, 2024

Use it when

Someone does something off-putting and it destroys your attraction to them.
The thing that repulsed you is minor or irrational and you're aware of it.
You're venting about a dating situation with friends.
You want to describe a sudden, unrecoverable loss of interest.

Do not use it when

You mean general disgust at something unrelated to attraction.Use “gross” instead.
The person did something genuinely bad or hurtful.
You were never attracted to them in the first place.

Variations and related forms

walking ick

Someone who consistently does things that give people the ick.

Ick vs red flag

ick

The ick is about losing attraction, often over something minor or irrational.

red-flag

A red flag is a warning sign about someone's character or behavior that suggests they could be harmful.

Origin and context

Popularized in UK dating culture before spreading through TikTok around 2021 and 2022. The term existed earlier as general slang for disgust but took on the specific romantic meaning through dating content creators.

First seen: early-2020s
Confidence: medium

Cite this page

Use this stable URL to reference the entry.

https://slang.fyi/ick

Updated: 2026-08-28License: CC BY 4.0

ick