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
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
In neighborhoods from Maine to the Midwest, homeowners say the sickly gray squirrels are turning up in backyards and around bird feeders.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 18 Aug. 2025
The sickly girl demands more time among the living.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 15 Aug. 2025
Séamus McLean Ross costars on Blood of My Blood as a young Colum MacKenzie, the sickly brother of Ellen and Dougal, who goes on to become laird of the clan.
—EW.com, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sickly
Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 19 Aug. 2025
In neighborhoods from Maine to the Midwest, homeowners say the sickly gray squirrels are turning up in backyards and around bird feeders.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 18 Aug. 2025
The sickly girl demands more time among the living.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 15 Aug. 2025
Séamus McLean Ross costars on Blood of My Blood as a young Colum MacKenzie, the sickly brother of Ellen and Dougal, who goes on to become laird of the clan.
—EW.com, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sickly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sickly
Adjective
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Listeria monocytogenes is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people and others with weakened immune systems.—
City News Service,
Oc Register,
27 Sep. 2025
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Today’s over-85 cohort may also be frailer and sicker than the oldest-old were 30 years ago, Gill added, because contemporary medicine can keep people alive longer.—
Paula Span,
Miami Herald,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Rather than allowing herself to be captured by the Romans, legend has it that Cleopatra let a poisonous asp bite her in Alexandria, according to the documentary.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
26 Sep. 2025
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Leninism, with its Bolshevik contempt for religion and family; Frantz Fanon's poisonous doctrine that violence is not only justified but the very path to human dignity; and Islamism's contempt for the West.—
Ayaan Hirsi Ali,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Netanyahu, meanwhile, stands accused of having repeatedly turned down earlier deals with Hamas to appease extreme elements within his fragile coalition government.—
Romina Ruiz-Goiriena,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
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With new tariffs, shifting brand strategies and a fragile financial system, the stakes could not be higher for Bangladesh in 2025.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Here are three major red flags that your boss is embracing toxic positivity.—
Mita Mallick,
Big Think,
30 Sep. 2025
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In Möbius strip fashion, Gein grows obsessed with crime — and the toxic blooming of his obsession into murder goes on to enthrall the world.—
Daniel D'Addario,
Variety,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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But as that incident demonstrated, even a small number of controllers calling in sick can have a big impact.—
Joel Rose,
NPR,
2 Oct. 2025
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Austin Hedges gets sick to his stomach before postseason games.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
2 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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Nobody can say that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a weak team.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Sep. 2025
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Akin to two boxers with weak chins slugging it out, Villa wanted to land another blow.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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This sends an unhealthy message to the neighbors — that their comments are last priority and since the agenda is completed, their comments are useless.—
Kelly G. Richardson,
Oc Register,
26 Sep. 2025
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These foods are often low in nutritional value and have high amounts of salt, sugar, and unhealthy fats.—
Claudia Boyd-Barrett,
ABC News,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sickly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sickly. Accessed 4 Oct. 2025.
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