stuck
stuck
Pronunciation
The IPA phonetic spelling of stuck is /stʌk/.
It is a single-syllable word composed of the following sounds:
/s/: The hissing 's' sound at the beginning.
/t/: The sharp 't' sound that follows.
/ʌ/: The short 'uh' vowel sound, as in "cup" or "mud."
/k/: The hard 'k' sound at the end, made by 'ck'.
Word Form Variations
Stuck is the past tense and past participle form of the verb stick. The other forms are:
Infinitive/Base: stick
Present Tense: stick / sticks
Present Participle: sticking
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Adjective
Unable to move from a particular position or place; jammed or fastened. 🚧
Synonyms: fixed, lodged, immovable, jammed, wedged
Antonyms: loose, free, movable, dislodged
Unable to progress in a situation, task, or thought process; facing an impasse. 🤔
Synonyms: trapped, stranded, bogged down, cornered
Antonyms: progressing, advancing, unhindered
(Informal) Deeply infatuated with or emotionally attached to someone (usually followed by "on"). 🥰
Synonyms: smitten, infatuated, keen on, crushing on
Antonyms: indifferent, uninterested
Verb
(Past tense and past participle of stick) Pierced or pushed a pointed object into something.
Synonyms: poked, jabbed, inserted, pierced
Antonyms: removed, extracted, pulled out
(Past tense and past participle of stick) Fastened or affixed something to a surface, often with an adhesive.
Synonyms: glued, pasted, affixed, fastened
Antonyms: detached, removed, unstuck
Examples of Use
In Literature 📚
In literature, "stuck" is often used to describe both physical and profound emotional or existential predicaments.
In A.A. Milne's classic children's book, Winnie-the-Pooh, the titular character gets physically lodged after eating too much honey: "So he started to climb out of the hole. He pulled with his front paws, and pushed with his back paws, and in a little while his nose was out in the open again... and then his shoulders... and then... 'Oh, help!' said Pooh, 'I'd better go back.' ... 'Oh, bother!' said Pooh, 'I shall have to go on.' 'I can't do either!' said Pooh. 'Oh, help and bother! I'm stuck.'"
In her memoir Wild, Cheryl Strayed describes the feeling of being emotionally unable to move on from grief: "I was stuck. I was adrift. I was a ship that had lost its rudder. I'd had a beautiful life and a beautiful mother and a beautiful family and I was fucking it all up." (Cheryl Strayed, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail)
In News and Online Media 📰
Journalism frequently employs "stuck" to report on everything from logistical nightmares to political impasses.
When the massive container ship Ever Given blocked the Suez Canal, headlines around the world used the word to describe the situation: "Suez Canal: Giant container ship Ever Given stuck in canal" (BBC News, March 2021).
It's commonly used to describe legislative gridlock: "The bill is stuck in committee, with neither side willing to compromise on key provisions."
In technology and business reporting, it can refer to a lack of innovation or progress: "Analysts worry that the company is stuck in the past, relying on outdated technology while its competitors surge ahead."
In Entertainment 🎬🎵
From film plots to song lyrics, "stuck" is a powerful and relatable concept.
Film: The movie Groundhog Day (1993) is a classic example where the protagonist, Phil Connors, is metaphorically stuck in a time loop, reliving the same day over and over until he can achieve personal growth.
Music: The word features prominently in song titles and lyrics to convey feelings of being trapped or infatuated.
U2's song "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" describes the feeling of being trapped by grief or depression.
The 1972 hit "Stuck in the Middle with You" by Stealers Wheel uses the phrase to describe a feeling of being caught in an uncomfortable and confusing social situation.
In a more romantic sense, Lionel Richie's hit "Stuck on You" uses the phrase to mean deeply in love and emotionally attached.
In Everyday Language 🗣️
In general public discourse, "stuck" is a go-to word for many common frustrations.
Describing a physical state: "The car is stuck in the mud." or "I can't get this zipper stuck."
Expressing a mental block: "I'm stuck on the last question of this crossword puzzle."
Referring to traffic: "Sorry I'm late, I was stuck in traffic for an hour." 🚗
Discussing a difficult situation: "He's stuck in a dead-end job and doesn't know how to get out."
10 Famous Quotes Using Stuck
Growth is painful; change is painful, but nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere you don’t belong. (N. R. Narayana Murthy)
Frisbeetarianism is the belief that when you die, your soul goes up on the roof and gets stuck. (George Carlin)
Diamonds are nothing more than chunks of coal that stuck to their jobs. (Malcolm Forbes)
The apple cannot be stuck back on the Tree of Knowledge; once we begin to see, we are doomed and challenged to seek the strength to see more, not less. (Arthur Miller)
The men who have succeeded are men who have chosen one line and stuck to it. (Andrew Carnegie)
Thankfully, dreams can change; if we'd all stuck with our first dream, the world would be overrun with cowboys and princesses. (Stephen Colbert)
Fear is the glue that keeps you stuck. (Shannon L. Alder)
Every year I try to grow as a player and not get stuck in a rut. (Lionel Messi)
Because of those pests, he had run out of luck; because of those guests on his horns, he was stuck! (Dr. Seuss, Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose)
If your mind is truly, profoundly stuck, then you may be much better off than when it was loaded with ideas. (Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance)
Etymology
From Sharp Point to Helpless Predicament
The word stuck comes from the verb stick, which has a surprisingly pointy origin.
Its journey begins in Old English with the word stician, which meant "to pierce, stab, or prick." This word itself traces back to an ancient Proto-Germanic root, *stik-, which carried the core idea of being pointed or sharp. You can see echoes of this original meaning in words like "stake" (a pointed post driven into the ground) and "stitch" (piercing fabric with a needle).
So, the very first meaning was about the physical act of poking something with a sharp object.
Over time, the meaning evolved. If you "stick" a pin into a board, the pin becomes fixed or lodged in that spot. This idea of being fixed in place became a dominant sense of the word. From there, it was a short leap to the modern adjective "stuck." If something was lodged, it couldn't move.
The first known use of stuck as the past tense of stick appeared around the 1300s. Its meaning expanded from being physically pierced or fastened to the more general, often frustrating, sense we use today: being unable to move or progress, whether in mud, in traffic, or on a difficult math problem.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Stuck
Stuck between a rock and a hard place: To be trapped between two equally difficult or unpleasant choices.
Stuck in a rut: To be in a boring, repetitive routine that is difficult to change.
To get stuck in: An enthusiastic way to say you are starting a task, often with vigor (common in British English).
Stuck on you / Stuck on someone: To be infatuated with or deeply fond of a person. ❤️
Stuck for words: To be so surprised, shocked, or emotional that you don't know what to say.
Stuck with the bill: To be left with the responsibility of paying for something, often unfairly.
Stuck in the past: To be unable to move on from previous events or ways of thinking.
Stuck like glue: To be attached to someone or something very closely.
Stuck in traffic: The common frustration of being unable to move due to a traffic jam. 🚗
Stuck-up: A descriptive term for someone who is arrogant, snobbish, or conceited.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of stuck from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
