Ick

The ick is a sudden, often irrational feeling of disgust or attraction-killing discomfort toward someone, usually triggered by a small, specific action or moment rather than anything seriously wrong with them.

Quick facts

Also known as: the ick, getting the ick
Category: Internet culture
Applies to: TikTok · Instagram · X
Origin: British slang, long used on the UK reality show Love Island before going viral globally on TikTok around 2021-2023

The ick describes the moment attraction flips into discomfort, often over something objectively minor: the way someone laughs, an outfit choice, how they order food, or an over-eager text. It's usually framed as involuntary and hard to explain rationally, part of the appeal of the term is that it names a feeling everyone recognizes but rarely had a shared word for before it went viral. The phrase itself predates its viral moment by years in British slang and on UK reality television, but TikTok turned it into a full content format: creators post lists, skits, and confessions of specific things that gave them the ick, and the comment sections become crowdsourced catalogs of universally relatable (or wildly specific and personal) ick triggers.

How is "the ick" used online?

Most commonly as a noun phrase, "getting the ick," describing the moment the feeling hits, or as a plural content format where creators rank or list their icks. It's used almost exclusively about romantic or dating contexts, unlike broader disgust or cringe, which can apply to anything. The term carries a specific implication: the feeling isn't really about the other person's character, it's an aesthetic or instinctive reaction that the person experiencing it usually can't fully justify, which is part of why it's often played for comedy rather than treated as a serious dealbreaker.

Frequently asked questions

Did TikTok invent the term "the ick"? No. It's older British slang, long associated with the UK reality show Love Island, that TikTok popularized into a global viral term and content format starting around 2021-2023.

Is the ick always about something serious? No, and that's part of the humor around the term, it's usually triggered by something small and specific, like a walk or a laugh, rather than a genuine red flag.

Is "the ick" only used about dating? Almost always, yes. It's specifically framed around romantic attraction fading, distinguishing it from more general terms like "cringe" that can apply to anything.

Related terms: What is millennial pause? · What is brain rot?

By Arif Akdoğan, reviewed by Kevin O. Frank. Last updated 2026-08-10.