as in sick
temporarily suffering from a disorder of the body
her mother announced that she still looked peaky, and felt her forehead for a fever
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Recent Examples of peaky
The Fenomeno’s widened and lengthened body—when compared to the Revuelto—has been designed in a very graphical way, with fewer lines, broad shoulders and surfaces, a long tail, and a peaky front.
—
Brett Berk, Robb Report, 19 Aug. 2025
The curveball in all this is Verstappen, whose Red Bull future has become a significant talking point once again amid the team’s difficulties with a peaky car that will surely test his championship defense.
—Luke Smith, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025
In reality, though, because the TCL’s tone mapping is not as effective as that of the Samsung TV, the TCL’s brightness can cause clipping and leave the image looking ‘peaky’ and unbalanced.
—John Archer, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024
Local surf guides will take wave riders to fun, peaky beach breaks or barreling reefs.
—Noah Lederman, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2024
The powerband was peaky, with the turbos coming alive above 2500 rpm, accompanied by a distinct whistle.
—Brett Berk, Car and Driver, 4 Sep. 2023
Brett Berk, Robb Report, 19 Aug. 2025
The curveball in all this is Verstappen, whose Red Bull future has become a significant talking point once again amid the team’s difficulties with a peaky car that will surely test his championship defense.
—Luke Smith, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025
In reality, though, because the TCL’s tone mapping is not as effective as that of the Samsung TV, the TCL’s brightness can cause clipping and leave the image looking ‘peaky’ and unbalanced.
—John Archer, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024
Local surf guides will take wave riders to fun, peaky beach breaks or barreling reefs.
—Noah Lederman, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2024
The powerband was peaky, with the turbos coming alive above 2500 rpm, accompanied by a distinct whistle.
—Brett Berk, Car and Driver, 4 Sep. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for peaky
Adjective
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Often, Marcano had to stand in line for hours with her sick daughter to insure that Amalia was seen by Dilley’s medical team.—
Sarah Stillman,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
There have been case reports of people getting very sick from injecting the wrong dose of a peptide or having contaminated peptides.—
Jacqueline Howard,
CNN Money,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
This fragmented model creates friction and quietly drains profitability through unbilled hours, margin erosion from poorly staffed projects and elevated turnover when top talent hits operational roadblocks.—
DJ Paoni,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
For however poorly things are going — and the bad tone set by the starters has leaked into some defensive lapses and some pressing at the plate — the Padres got themselves into a really favorable position before this.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Kawhi Leonard sat out for the Clippers to rest ankle and wrist injuries, while Draymond Green was out for the Warriors with a bad back.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Was Paul’s effect on history, incalculably large, good or bad on the whole?—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Weigel warned that such support might bode ill for pushes to reform the state tax code at the ballot box this year.—
Nick Coltrain,
Denver Post,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Amy’s ex-husband Michael (Omar Metwally) and the team work tirelessly to help her and the other patients but their experimental treatments fail and Amy becomes critically ill.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Consumer staples is the only other down sector in April, lower by just 1%.—
Jason Gewirtz,
CNBC,
16 Apr. 2026
-
This should be a down-payment on funding for fighting addiction in Boston and beyond.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Peaky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/peaky. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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