1
as in frail
chronically or repeatedly suffering from poor health
a sickly foal that seemed to catch everything that the other horses had
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in poisonous
bad for the well-being of the body
lungs scarred by years of exposure to the sickly air of the coal mines
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sickly
Sulfuric acid rains down through the sickly yellow sky but never reaches the lava-licked ground.
—
Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
Ryan didn’t waver about his feelings in a follow-up after his sickly outing.
—David Brown, Twin Cities, 8 Sep. 2025
Cinematographer James Friend creates a purgatorial realm of disorienting angles and neon lights too sickly to be beautiful, the nightmarishness further underlined by Volker Bertelman’s thundering score.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 30 Aug. 2025
There are some exceptions to this guideline, like when a neighbor allows a sickly tree to decline rather than taking care of the problem.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sickly
Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
Ryan didn’t waver about his feelings in a follow-up after his sickly outing.
—David Brown, Twin Cities, 8 Sep. 2025
Cinematographer James Friend creates a purgatorial realm of disorienting angles and neon lights too sickly to be beautiful, the nightmarishness further underlined by Volker Bertelman’s thundering score.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 30 Aug. 2025
There are some exceptions to this guideline, like when a neighbor allows a sickly tree to decline rather than taking care of the problem.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sickly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sickly
Adjective
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The figures were outgoing Spanish Prime Minister Adolfo Suárez, Santiago Carrillo, head of the Spanish Communist Party, and armed forces chief Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado who, though a frail near-70, got up to order the rebel Guards to lay down their arms.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
14 Oct. 2025
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The fate of one of the few remaining opposition figures who was still in the country depended on the frail relationship between the Cuban government and the United States.—
Nora Gamez Torres,
Miami Herald,
13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Nothing was more freeing than finally realizing how poisonous these people are.—
Christina Dugan Ramirez,
FOXNews.com,
21 Oct. 2025
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The scorpion, who will sting with their poisonous venom when hurt, is extremely intuitive and highly aware of their surroundings.—
Lisa Stardust,
Refinery29,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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As conversations continue around Gaza's reconstruction amid the fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire, doctors and humanitarian workers are urging that efforts be focused on addressing the malnutrition crisis, noting that simply flooding the zone with aid won't make a meaningful dent.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
24 Oct. 2025
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Vance says Gaza ceasefire holding despite flare-ups US Vice President JD Vance said on a visit to Israel the fragile ceasefire with Hamas was holding, despite accusations by each side that the other had violated the deal.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Unknown dangers Many personal care products — from lipstick to shampoo and moisturizer — still contain potentially toxic chemicals.—
Kimberly Richardson,
CNN Money,
21 Oct. 2025
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The test can detect trace amounts of minerals and toxic metals in their system, providing information at levels even smaller than a traditional blood test can find.—
Christine Persaud,
USA Today,
20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The Star began writing about the concerns at Warren Hills in March, detailing how for years that teachers, staff and parents have been worried that something at the school may be making teachers and staff sick.—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
23 Oct. 2025
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Although Hahne's daughter lived close enough to remain at home, Hahne made connections with families staying in the Ronald McDonald House while their sick children received care from Children's Hospital.—
Angelika Ytuarte,
jsonline.com,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The change comes amid concerns about fireworks causing unhealthful air.—
Rong-Gong Lin II,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2025
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Health professionals encourage people to use lean cuts of meat because most of the fat in animal products is unhealthful saturated fat, which can raise the risk of heart disease and cancer.—
Bethany Thayer,
Detroit Free Press,
22 June 2024
Adjective
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Relief on that levy—which stacks on top of Liberation Day tariffs—could be a boon for the Asian nation at a time when domestic demand is weak.—
Bloomberg,
Fortune,
27 Oct. 2025
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There, interactions between streams of liquid iron generate a magnetic field one quintillion times more powerful than that of an ordinary lab magnet (but thousands of times weaker than the Sun’s).—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Sara Kuburic, a mental health professional known online as the millennial therapist, broke down the ins and outs of healthy (and unhealthy) soft-launching in a previous column for USA TODAY.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
27 Oct. 2025
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But this isn’t to say pickles themselves are inherently unhealthy.—
Caroline Tien,
SELF,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sickly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sickly. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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