sicken

verb

ˈsi-kən How to pronounce sicken (audio)
Definition of sickennext
as in to disgust
to cause to feel disgust sickened by the awful sight of the polluted river

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sicken Pinpointing The Cause Of The Cyclosporiasis Outbreak Public health officials are racing to pin down the cause of the cyclosporiasis outbreak, which has sickened thousands of people–including sending 308 to the hospital– in at least five states. — Amy Feldman, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026 Officials still haven’t identified the source of the bacteria that has sickened more than six dozen people in the last month. — Jennifer Peltz, Los Angeles Times, 22 July 2026 More than 6,500 people in Michigan have been sickened (and at least 100 hospitalized) by cyclospora, a microscopic parasite that’s transmitted by infected food as of Tuesday, July 21. — Bryce Covert, Bon Appetit Magazine, 21 July 2026 The cyclosporiasis outbreak that has sickened thousands of people across the United States has gotten confusing. — Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 20 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for sicken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sicken
  1. disgust
  2. repulse
  3. appall
  4. nauseate
  5. horrify
Verb
  • In 2017, the Ig Nobel Prize in Medicine went to a team of French researchers who used advanced brain-scanning technology to measure the extent to which some people are disgusted by fromage.
    — Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 July 2026
  • Kim The call left Kim Grindell disgusted, furious and wracked with guilt.
    — Rich Schapiro, NBC news, 20 June 2026
Definition of disgust
Verb
  • She’s still repulsed by the carving, but her camera is drawn to something else.
    — John Blake, CNN Money, 19 July 2026
  • Plenty of people bought it, plenty were repulsed by it.
    — George Caulkin, New York Times, 11 June 2026
Definition of repulse
Verb
  • He was appalled by the slaughter, but, more than that, by the complacency of his neighbors, their willingness to ignore the bloody work being done under their noses.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 July 2026
  • Many subjects were appalled by his treatment of his closest family.
    — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 9 July 2026
Definition of appall
Verb
  • There are flies, rats and, if the wind shifts every so slightly, a waft of thick, nauseating air from the warehouse.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026
  • If someone becomes dizzy, weak, intensely thirsty, nauseated, confused or unusually tired, move them to a cooler place or go to the hospital.
    — Destenie Nock, The Conversation, 22 July 2026
Definition of nauseate
Verb
  • Kate, hiding a dark past of her own, is thrilled rather than horrified, and moves into West’s mansion to work alongside him.
    — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 17 July 2026
  • The professor was horrified by what appeared to be massive cheating in his course—cheating that was preventing most of the students from learning the material.
    — Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 8 July 2026
Definition of horrify

Phrases Containing sicken

Browse Nearby Words

sick bays
sicken
sickened
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sicken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sicken. Accessed 26 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on sicken

Nglish: Translation of sicken for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of aerie

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All