SICKLY Synonyms: 59 Similar and Opposite Words

sickly

adjective

ˈsi-klē

Definition of sickly

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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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 If your once-vigorous plant is starting to look sickly, spider mites may be the culprits. — Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 19 May 2026 The sickly childhoods of children’s literature likely reflect a number of factors. — Veronique Greenwood, Time, 11 May 2026 Soon Collie is ensnared in a plot to kidnap a sickly rich boy that immediately goes off the rails. — Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026 The Republic turns a sickly pale. — Big Think, 4 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for sickly

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sickly

Adjective

Perennially frail, sick, and gaunt, the ambient guitar composer had devoted his life to a sprawling catalog, some 40 albums wide, that resembles a matchstick model of paradise.

— Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 30 July 2026
Nebraska has a nearly 300-page index of diagnoses that could qualify someone as medically frail.

— Isabella Cueto, STAT, 30 July 2026

Definition of frail

Adjective

The fragile peace didn’t hold, but the market’s memory is long enough to remember what was happening in February and in June.

— David Goldman, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2026
The fragile dragon peace doesn’t hold long enough for the Targaryens to sort through their family business.

— Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of fragile

Adjective

The result is clouds of both coal dust and highly toxic silica dust.

— Howard Berkes, NPR, 5 Aug. 2026
Philly neighborhoods with a higher percentage of green areas, by contrast, have lower levels of diesel particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and other toxic air pollutants, which inflame and irritate the respiratory system.

— Mahbubur Meenar, The Conversation, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of toxic

Adjective

Veterinarians for famed Big Bear bald eagle Jackie, who was found sick and on the ground weeks ago, still don’t know what’s wrong with her.

— Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 2 Aug. 2026
What stays with me is not just what happened when my father got sick, but what didn’t happen before.

— Guy Leitersdorf, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026

Definition of sick

Adjective

Warnings of unhealthful air quality remained in effect Saturday across a wide swath of the United States due to smoke from Canadian wildfires that has engulfed the Northeast in haze for days.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 18 July 2026
The soil may contain pathogens, pesticides and other unhealthful things.

— Joan Morris, Mercury News, 9 Feb. 2026

Definition of unhealthful

Adjective

Similar to Spokane, the windiest periods will be during the daytime from Friday through Sunday, with weaker winds each night.

— Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
The next step came in 2009, when mathematicians Jordan Ellenberg, Akshay Venkatesh and Craig Westerland posted a preprint paper that claimed to prove a weaker version of the conjecture for every prime.

— Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of weak

Adjective

Wildfires in Washington and British Columbia, Canada, are also expected to bring hazy skies and unhealthy air quality to the state over the next two days as smoke moves in from the north and temperatures climb toward 100 degrees.

— Amanda Jackson, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2026
The air quality index was forecast to meet or exceed 126, a level that’s considered unhealthy for sensitive groups, including people with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teenagers.

— Haley Parsley August 1, Sacbee.com, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of unhealthy

Browse Nearby Words

sickliness

sickly

sickness

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“Sickly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sickly. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of sickly

adjective

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