Where did "the ick" come from?

The phrase has been used to mean a feeling of disgust for decades and appeared in TV dialogue before the internet, but it became a mainstream dating term on TikTok around 2020 and 2021, when "ick" list videos went viral. The exact origin is debated, but its current popularity is firmly tied to short-form video.

Can you get the ick from a brand?

Yes — the term has expanded beyond dating. People use it to describe a sudden turn-off from a company, creator, or trend, often triggered by inauthenticity, a cringeworthy post, or a forced attempt to seem relevant. It signals an emotional, hard-to-reverse shift in perception.

Glossary

Community

What does the Ick mean? Definition & How It Works

Quick definition

The ick is slang for a sudden feeling of disgust or turn-off toward someone you were attracted to, usually triggered by a small or trivial behavior.

Community

Ick, explained

Part of the SocialKit social media glossary — browse every term.

What the ick means

The "ick" describes a sudden, often irrational wave of revulsion toward a person you previously found attractive. The feeling is typically set off by something minor — the way they run for a bus, a cringey turn of phrase, an awkward gesture — that instantly and disproportionately kills the attraction. The term predates the current internet era but exploded on TikTok around 2020–2021, when creators began sharing exhaustive lists of "icks": specific, hyper-relatable behaviors that gave them the ick.

How it shows up on social media

On social media, "ick" content is a durable genre. Creators post rapid-fire lists of their personal icks, duet and stitch each other’s icks, and turn the format into relatable comedy that reliably drives comments as viewers add their own. The word has broadened beyond dating: people now describe getting "the ick" from brands, celebrities, or trends that suddenly feel off-putting. The appeal is its specificity — the more oddly precise the ick, the more shareable the post.

What it means for brands

For brands, "the ick" is worth understanding as a reputational signal. Audiences increasingly use it to describe the moment a company’s behavior — a tone-deaf post, a forced trend attempt, visible inauthenticity — flips them from neutral or positive to turned off. Because the reaction is emotional and fast, it’s hard to reason someone out of. The practical lesson is prevention: a consistent, genuine brand voice avoids the small missteps that give audiences the ick.

Where SocialKit fits

Forced, off-trend posts are a fast way to give your audience the ick — SocialKit’s content calendar helps you plan a consistent, genuine posting rhythm across all 11 platforms instead of scrambling to chase trends.

Start My Free Trial

€0.00 due today · cancel anytime · 7-day money-back guarantee

FAQ

Ick: common questions

Quick answers to the questions people ask most about this term.

Stop memorizing metrics — start scheduling

SocialKit posts to all 11 platforms from one calendar and tracks how every post performs, so the numbers explain themselves. Try it free for 7 days.