sickening 1 of 2

adjective

ˈsi-kə-niŋ How to pronounce sickening (audio)
Definition of sickeningnext
as in disgusting
causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment a sickening display of emotion

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

sickening

2 of 2

verb

present participle of sicken
as in appalling
to cause to feel disgust sickened by the awful sight of the polluted river

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 sickening
Adjective
So united and powerful were these Indigenous people that some of their enemies started to get desperate, that whiff of anxiety taking on a sickening stench. — Literary Hub, 26 May 2026 Joe threw Ospreay into the barricade to the sound of a sickening thud. — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026
Verb
Yet Bragg couldn’t tell the parent just how severely ill their fellow South Carolinians were getting from the outbreak sickening people around them. — Jennifer Berry Hawes, ProPublica, 20 Feb. 2026 Fecal matter may also have contaminated the drinking water supply at Vindolanda fort, sickening the residents. — Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 22 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sickening
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sickening
  1. disgusting
  2. appalling
  3. horrible
  4. repulsing
  5. awful
  6. horrifying
  7. shocking
  8. ugly
Adjective
  • Deer-Proof Your Garden To keep your flowers from being gobbled up by deer—one of the most heartbreaking of all garden misfortunes—choose flowers that people find glorious and deer find disgusting.
    — Mary Alice Russell, Southern Living, 13 July 2026
  • Where critics see disgusting piles of stuff, hoarders see more.
    — Shivali H. Patra, Mercury News, 8 July 2026
Definition of disgusting
Verb
  • The young Forster recoiled from the school’s culture of authoritarianism and militaristic chauvinism, which may have found expression in the students’ often appalling attitudes toward their own mothers.
    — Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 7 May 2026
  • Of all the recent poster boys for appalling misbehavior by the State Police, Michael Proctor would of course rank number one.
    — Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 4 Jan. 2026
Definition of appalling
Adjective
  • The toll was horrible, with some families suffering multiple deaths and injuries.
    — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2026
  • Plus, Palmer is a horrible person — in this case, the victim is much more despicable than the thieves.
    — Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 8 July 2026
Definition of horrible
Verb
  • While there are dismemberments and other bits of gruesome violence to be found in the film, Badlands is largely aimed at endearing its audience rather than repulsing them.
    — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 4 Nov. 2025
Definition of repulsing
Adjective
  • Torres – one of Barcelona’s key men up front – had been having an awful tournament, missing a plethora of chances throughout Spain’s campaign and being benched after starting against Cape Verde.
    — Patrick Sung Cuadrado, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
  • In a clearing in the forest, his younger selves sit at a long table with the abbott, who is wearing the final boss of season three’s awful wigs.
    — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 20 July 2026
Definition of awful
Verb
  • The complications are horrifying doctors.
    — Alexandra Frost, USA Today, 24 June 2026
  • Following her rescue, horrifying details of what happened to Jaycee began to emerge.
    — Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 10 June 2026
Definition of horrifying
Adjective
  • Yet somehow, two decades later, the viciously antisemitic Vichy regime planted itself in power; a shocking betrayal by France of some of its most loyal and generous supporters, in a dehumanizing toxic swamp of suspicion, judgment, envy.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 July 2026
  • As shocking as the scandal surrounding Terrion Arnold is, the 2024 first-round pick had not played that well, and the Lions could be better without him.
    — Vic Tafur, New York Times, 17 July 2026
Definition of shocking
Adjective
  • The deals defined one of the ugliest chapters of Russia’s transition to capitalism in the 1990s.
    — Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026
  • Leaders must be grounded in self-awareness and their influence, leaning into emotional intelligence and humility; recognizing that different styles shape how people show up amid many influences, good, bad and ugly.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of ugly

Browse Nearby Words

sickened (with)
sickening
sickeningly
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Cite this Entry

“Sickening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sickening. Accessed 20 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on sickening

Nglish: Translation of sickening for Spanish Speakers

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