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
-
Oceanwide Expeditions, the Dutch company that operates the ship, said the two sick people on board were crew members who required urgent medical are.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
4 May 2026
-
There are 88 passengers — including one who has died — and 61 crew members, two of whom are sick, onboard, the operator said Monday.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 May 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
-
Or worse, to turn it into a sort of prison sentence.—
James Wood,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Still, from his horns and tattoos to the double-bladed lightsaber, Maul's bad-guy chic was hard to beat.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
3 May 2026
Adjective
-
Entering this season, Heaps announced the team was moving on from Lozano, citing an ill fit with him.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 May 2026
-
Health organizations from around the world were working to evacuate, trace and isolate this outbreak while getting care to those who have fallen ill, according to the BBC.—
Hali Smith
May 8,
Idaho Statesman,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
The left-leaning Pipeline Fund, which started in 2018, helped Democrats in Florida pick up fifteen school-board seats in 2024, and plans to back candidates in school-board and other down-ballot races across twenty-one states in the next midterms.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
7 May 2026
-
The Eastern Conference clearly had the stronger goalies in general, even in a down season for future Hockey Hall of Famer Sergei Bobrovsky.—
Jesse Granger,
New York Times,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Peaky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/peaky. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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