“The ick” is a sudden feeling of disgust or turn-off toward someone you were attracted to, usually set off by a small, specific thing they do. Someone who “got the ick” has lost interest, often for a reason that looks minor to everyone else, like the way a date chews or runs for a bus. People also use it outside dating for anything that suddenly puts them off.
What does ick mean in a text?
Dictionary.com defines the ick as “a sudden feeling of disgust or repulsion to a dating partner someone was previously attracted to,” and notes that people talk about getting or catching it as if it were an illness. Cambridge Dictionary, which added the phrase in 2024, uses a wider definition: “a sudden feeling that you dislike someone or something or are no longer attracted to someone because of something they do.” In chats it shows up in a few ways.
| How the ick is used | Example | What the sender means |
|---|---|---|
| Ending interest | “I got the ick when he was rude to the waiter” | My attraction disappeared because of that behavior |
| A small, silly trigger | “the way he says ‘yummy’ gives me the ick” | A tiny habit turned me off |
| Outside dating | “loud chewing gives me the ick” | It bothers me |
| Asking about it | “what’s your biggest ick?” | What instantly puts you off someone? |
| Joking ahead of time | “don’t give me the ick by replying ‘k’” | Playful warning, not a real threat |
The ick is about a feeling, not a reason. Often the person who gets it knows the trigger is silly. That is part of why people find it funny to talk about, and part of why it can be hard to explain.
Where does “the ick” come from?
Ick on its own is an old exclamation of disgust, and Merriam-Webster’s dictionary dates it to 1967. Dictionary.com traces the dating phrase to “Once in a Lifetime,” a 1999 episode of Ally McBeal in which the title character uses it for an unexplained lack of attraction to a co-worker. Some sources place the first use a year earlier, in 1998.
It reached a much wider audience through the British reality show Love Island. Wikipedia’s article on the phrase credits Olivia Attwood, a contestant in 2017, with popularizing it, and quotes her saying, “When you’ve seen a boy, and got the ick, it doesn’t go.” Dictionary.com notes that the show’s cast helped spread the term. Wikipedia says it became common on TikTok around 2020, where creators began posting long lists of their icks.
Dictionaries followed. In July 2024 Cambridge Dictionary added the ick among more than 3,200 new words and phrases, alongside “boop” and “chef’s kiss.” Merriam-Webster has also given it an entry in its slang pages.
What are common icks?
Icks are personal and often oddly specific, which is much of the fun. Lists shared online tend to fall into a few groups.
- Small habits, such as chewing loudly or clapping when a plane lands
- How someone treats others, such as being rude to staff
- Trying too hard, such as rehearsed pickup lines or constant selfies
- Texting habits, such as one-word replies or too many voice notes
- Public moments, such as tripping or running after a bus
Some icks point to something worth noticing. Rudeness to a server says more about a person than a sneeze does. Others are just quirks, and many people decide to look past them once they know someone better.
Is it mean to say someone gives you the ick?
It can be. Saying it about a celebrity or a general habit is just conversation. Saying it to someone, or about a person everyone in the group knows, can sting, because it suggests they are unattractive over something they may not be able to change. Attwood’s line about the ick never going away is part of why the phrase can feel so final.
For parents, the phrase is not crude. Teens use it about crushes, friends, food and fashion. If a teen says they got the ick, they are usually describing a normal change of heart. It only needs attention if the word is being used to mock one particular classmate.
How is the ick different from a red flag?
The ick is often confused with flag words, but they measure different things. The table sets them out.
| Term | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| the ick | A sudden turn-off, often over something small | “he wore socks with sandals and I got the ick” |
| red flag | A warning sign of a real problem | “he checks her phone, that’s a red flag” |
| green flag | A good sign | “he remembered my sister’s name, green flag” |
| beige flag | A quirk that is odd or dull but harmless | “she names all her plants, beige flag” |
The main difference is seriousness. A red flag is about safety or respect and should not be ignored. The ick is about attraction and can be completely irrational. Beige flag is newer; Oxford University Press put it on its shortlist for Word of the Year in 2023.
How to reply to the ick
Keep it light unless the ick is about you. These replies fit the most common messages.
- A friend’s story: “I got the ick, he slurped his soup” gets “oh no, is it over?”
- A question: “what’s your biggest ick?” gets “people who are rude to waiters, you?”
- Teasing you: “you’re giving me the ick lol” gets “fine, I’ll stop singing”
- Real hurt: “honestly you gave me the ick” gets “ouch, ok, thanks for being honest”
- Not sure what they mean: “wait, the ick as in you’re not into him anymore?”
If a message mixes the ick with other slang, paste it into our text slang translator and read it in plain English.
Last checked: October 30, 2026.
