as in trick
an odd or peculiar habit
constantly playing with her hair is one of her more annoying tics
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Recent Examples of tic
In public, her tics are often met with stares and whispers — or at worst, hostile confrontations — from nearby strangers.
—
Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 13 Jan. 2025
DeHaan is, as has unfortunately been the case too often in his career, given a bunch of strange tics and asked to generate a character out of that.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 9 Jan. 2025
Her personality has been cleansed of the too-obvious psychological tics (alcoholism, narcissism, delusion) used to explain her unseemly propositions.
—Amanda Hess, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025
Even so, there remains a slightly amateurish quality to the project, involving on-the-nose dialogue and an odd tic whereby the actors tend to emote with their eyebrows — whereas Washington’s power comes from how much her character appears to be keeping inside.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 6 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for tic
Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 13 Jan. 2025
DeHaan is, as has unfortunately been the case too often in his career, given a bunch of strange tics and asked to generate a character out of that.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 9 Jan. 2025
Her personality has been cleansed of the too-obvious psychological tics (alcoholism, narcissism, delusion) used to explain her unseemly propositions.
—Amanda Hess, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025
Even so, there remains a slightly amateurish quality to the project, involving on-the-nose dialogue and an odd tic whereby the actors tend to emote with their eyebrows — whereas Washington’s power comes from how much her character appears to be keeping inside.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 6 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for tic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tic
Noun
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Luckily, there’s one easy trick that the most trustworthy, relatable and likable people use.—
Ellen Hendriksen, Contributor,
CNBC,
5 Mar. 2025
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Attendees will learn tricks of baiting and setting humane traps, which are on loan with a fully refundable deposit if they are returned in good condition, as well as how to transport cats safely.—
Melinda Moore,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Mar. 2025
Noun
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In her post, Meli questioned why ambition, despite its downsides, was seen as a moral good and an important trait to have.—
Tommy Tuberville,
Newsweek,
6 Mar. 2025
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These early problem-solving experiences can help develop resilience and adaptability, traits essential for success in STEAM fields and beyond.—
Kyle J. Russell,
USA TODAY,
6 Mar. 2025
Noun
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While the speech shares many characteristics with a State of the Union address, this presentation is slightly different in nature.—
Alana Wise,
NPR,
1 Mar. 2025
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Depending on one’s lifestyle and other characteristics, fasting might be harder on some than others.—
Monica Haider,
CNN,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The actor mastered Charles' verbal and physical mannerisms — and played the piano and lip-synced with a fervor few actors have ever mustered.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
2 Mar. 2025
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Friedrich’s mannerisms percolated into pop culture.—
Angelica Frey,
JSTOR Daily,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Inheriting an existing team with its unique culture, history and quirks.—
Tinna Jackson,
Forbes,
4 Mar. 2025
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David Lynch is probably the easiest to imitate director, with the most distinctive voice and identifiable quirks, outside of maybe Orson Welles.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
14 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Leading up to the start of a game is when those idiosyncrasies tend to surface most often.—
Daniel Nugent-Bowman,
The Athletic,
17 Feb. 2025
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Read the full Pisces Daily Horoscope Aries (March 21 - April 19) Embracing your idiosyncrasies?—
USA TODAY,
USA TODAY,
8 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Brain Dead Studios What’s spring without a little eccentricity and who’s more eccentric a filmmaker than Wes Anderson?—
Harrison Richlin,
IndieWire,
4 Mar. 2025
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Daniel Lee’s collection for Burberry continues to underscore the eccentricity of what Britain represents with guest appearances from Jason Isaacs, Lesley Manville, and Richard E. Grant.—
Tianwei Zhang,
WWD,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
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This could be because viral outrage on social media might come from individuals who weren't customers to begin with or because digital participation in the boycott can sometimes reduce the motivation to take more meaningful action like changing purchasing habits.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
4 Mar. 2025
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Sandler has struck up a habit of shouting out Chalamet's name in recent weeks, first during Nikki Glaser's monologue at the Golden Globes and again when Chalamet pulled double duty on Saturday Night Live.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
3 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tic. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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