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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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
-
Austin Hedges gets sick to his stomach before postseason games.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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This involves having a poorly or non-functioning colon and is not usually reversible.—
Dr. John De Jong,
Boston Herald,
17 Aug. 2025
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The researchers and their partners are also working to track local residents’ health and to measure how well or poorly interventions like masks and household air filters protected them.—
Maggie Astor,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The game didn’t start bad for the Giants.—
Dan Duggan,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Apparently, Grier forgot his own words, because the lines that the Dolphins have built are collectively their worst this decade, something evident in a crushing 27-24 loss to Carolina, a game in which Miami blew a 17-0 lead.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
5 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Passengers who’d fallen ill on the Serenade of the Seas were isolated, disembarking separately upon arrival.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
3 Oct. 2025
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Since some people recover from listeriosis without medical attention and never get tested, the CDC estimates that the actual number of people ill is probably substantially higher than reported, and that the outbreak may not be restricted to the states shown below.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Barring any ties, there will be eight artists or tracks nominated in each of these four divisions (versus five for all the down-ballot categories).—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
1 Oct. 2025
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But now, resort taxes are down while national hotel revenues rise, and violent crime is up as Miami sees declines.—
Miami Herald staff,
Miami Herald,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Peaky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/peaky. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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