What does gummy mean?
Gummy is an adjective meaning sticky or adhesive, and it can also describe a soft, chewy, or gelatinous texture. Its most familiar use today is in names for confectionery: gummy bears, gummy worms, and other gummy candies are soft, flavored, gelatinous sweets. The adjective is also used for labels, surfaces, or materials that have become tacky because of heat, age, moisture, or spilled food. In British and American English, gummy generally conveys texture and may carry the informal suggestion of stickiness or cloying sweetness. The word is useful because it links a physical property, especially the feeling of sticking, with the chewy texture of candy. As a noun, a gummy is usually understood as a piece of gummy candy, though the word is more natural in the plural gummies than in the singular when speaking generally about the confection.
Sticky or adhesive; also soft, chewy, or gelatinous in texture.
"The melted caramel left a gummy mess on the baking tray."
The sticky sense is standard in both British and American English; the chewy sense is especially common in food and candy descriptions.
A soft, chewy candy, especially a gummy bear or similar confection.
"He ate one gummy and immediately wanted another."
This noun is common in informal speech and food packaging; the plural gummies is more usual when referring to the candy in general.
The standard plural of the noun, commonly used for individual pieces of gummy candy or for the candy category in general.
"The shop sells gummies in bright fruit flavors."
Gummy captures texture in a single word: it can mean sticky, chewy, gelatinous, or simply a candy that is none of the other things on the snack shelf.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of gummy
The English adjective gummy was formed from gum, the sticky substance, with the suffix -y. Gum itself comes through Middle English gumme from Latin gummi, a transliteration of Greek κόμμι, meaning gum or resin. The related forms gomme, Gummi, and gom reflect the same Latin and Greek source through French, German, and Spanish respectively.
Related word forms
How gummy is actually used
As an adjective, gummy is standard in both British and American English. As a noun referring to candy, it is common in informal and commercial contexts; in a formal menu or article, gummy candy or gummies may be preferred.
Easily confused with gummy
Gum is the sticky substance itself, while gummy describes a sticky or chewy quality or names a candy made with a gummy texture.