: intentionally so written
—used after a printed word or passage to indicate that it is intended exactly as printed or to indicate that it exactly reproduces an original
said he seed [sic] it all
variants
or less commonly sick
sicced also sicked
ˈsikt
; siccing also sicking
2
: to incite or urge to an attack, pursuit, or harassment : set
sicced their lawyers on me
sicker; sickest
1
2
: spiritually or morally unsound or corrupt
3
4
5
: lacking vigor : sickly: such as
a
: badly outclassed
made the competition look sick
b
: incapable of producing profitable yields of a crop
sick soils
6
slang
: outstandingly or amazingly good or impressive
Rookie was phenomenal Friday. His goal was nice, but the pass to twin brother, Chris, … was downright sick.—Roy Lang III
British
Did you know?
The adverb sic, usually enclosed in brackets, is a word editors use in the reproduction of someone else's speech or writing to indicate that an unexpected form exactly reproduces the original and is not a copier's mistake. Sic comes from Latin, in which it means "so" or "thus." Though it's a useful tool, some usage commentators feel it is bad manners to use a sic to needlessly call attention to someone's error or to deride the language of a less-educated person.
Cite this Entry
“Sic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sic. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.
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