1
as in frail
chronically or repeatedly suffering from poor health
a sickly foal that seemed to catch everything that the other horses had
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in poisonous
bad for the well-being of the body
lungs scarred by years of exposure to the sickly air of the coal mines
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 sickly
The collection of slab-like columns by Derek McLane, lit in sickly, sullen colors by Natasha Katz, could be anywhere.
—
Jesse Green, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2025
The color-grading choice was particularly popular in movies at the turn of the millennium, a sickly tint that conveyed metropolitan gothic sensibilities and disaffection while amping up the physical sallowness of already-pallid leads.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2025
What danced across your palate in the first mouthful becomes a sickly chore by the end of the meal.
—Michael Irving, New Atlas, 3 Mar. 2025
The sight of the Kelly-green jerseys, against the sickly inchworm green of Veterans Stadium’s diabolical artificial turf, got its talons in me.
—Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sickly
Jesse Green, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2025
The color-grading choice was particularly popular in movies at the turn of the millennium, a sickly tint that conveyed metropolitan gothic sensibilities and disaffection while amping up the physical sallowness of already-pallid leads.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2025
What danced across your palate in the first mouthful becomes a sickly chore by the end of the meal.
—Michael Irving, New Atlas, 3 Mar. 2025
The sight of the Kelly-green jerseys, against the sickly inchworm green of Veterans Stadium’s diabolical artificial turf, got its talons in me.
—Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sickly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sickly
Adjective
-
There are numerous exemptions, such as pregnant women, caregivers, the medically frail, and others.—
Anthony Digiorgio,
Oc Register,
20 May 2025
-
Medicaid spends more than half its budget on medical and long-term care for frail, low-income older adults and younger people with disabilities, according to a KFF data note.—
Howard Gleckman,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2025
Adjective
-
The poisonous kernels are responsible for a significant number of suicides and homicides, particularly in rural areas of South Asia.—
Nina Foster,
JSTOR Daily,
30 May 2025
-
Looking at her computer's search history, investigators found that Patterson looked up a website listing sightings of the poisonous mushroom.—
Britt Clennett,
ABC News,
30 May 2025
Adjective
-
For Testers The focus shifts from maintaining fragile scripts tied to UI elements to ensuring robust, conceptual test coverage.—
Asad Khan,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2025
-
Although concepts for crewed missions to Mars have gained popularity, NASA’s actual plans for landing humans on Mars remain fragile.—
Ari Koeppel,
The Conversation,
22 May 2025
Adjective
-
The explosion of money in the game in the past few years has made things only more toxic.—
Joe Rexrode,
New York Times,
29 May 2025
-
As explained by Hill's Pet Nutrition, spicy food can be toxic for dogs and can lead to excessive thirst or even vomiting.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 May 2025
Adjective
-
Each year, about 48 million people in the U.S. get sick with foodborne illnesses, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.—
Stephanie Armour,
Miami Herald,
29 May 2025
-
Pregnant women are at high risk of serious complications from the virus and their newborns are in danger of getting really sick from COVID.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
28 May 2025
Adjective
-
The unhealthful effects of autocracy remain robust even when accounting for economic differences and when excluding Venezuela and its collapsing health-care system.—
Thomas J. Bollyky,
Foreign Affairs,
30 Jan. 2020
-
However, communities in the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains were still experiencing unhealthful air quality, according to the air district.—
Tony Briscoe,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Sep. 2024
Adjective
-
The grand jury also criticizes city officials for weak oversight and enforcement of their contract with the Humane Society, which requires the nonprofit to enforce leash laws at 400 city parks and other venues.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 May 2025
-
Thanks to a weak front sliding across Central Florida, Thursday will be a bit cooler than prior days.—
Garfield Hylton,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 May 2025
Adjective
-
Others may be dismissed as unhealthy while actually thriving physically.—
Amber Corrine,
VIBE.com,
23 May 2025
-
An unhealthy population can then lead to a decrease in a population’s ability to obtain and maintain employment.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
23 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sickly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sickly. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share