1
as in frail
chronically or repeatedly suffering from poor health
a sickly foal that seemed to catch everything that the other horses had
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sickly
The dominant color is a sickly blue, tinged with greens and purples.
—
Dan Stahl, New Yorker, 1 May 2026
My mom was over one afternoon and noticed my sickly plant.
—Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 29 Apr. 2026
There’s a painterly look to the image, rather than the typical slop-style sickly sheen, but the AI origins are still unmistakable.
—Cath Virginia, The Verge, 11 Apr. 2026
For reasons that are still poorly understood, the body’s immune system, normally tuned exquisitely to root out and destroy invasive pathogens or sickly cells, begins to assault healthy cells instead.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sickly
Dan Stahl, New Yorker, 1 May 2026
My mom was over one afternoon and noticed my sickly plant.
—Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 29 Apr. 2026
There’s a painterly look to the image, rather than the typical slop-style sickly sheen, but the AI origins are still unmistakable.
—Cath Virginia, The Verge, 11 Apr. 2026
For reasons that are still poorly understood, the body’s immune system, normally tuned exquisitely to root out and destroy invasive pathogens or sickly cells, begins to assault healthy cells instead.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sickly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sickly
Adjective
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These moments are delightfully painful moments that remind just how frail this current moment in our relationship to technology continues to be.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
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Modifiers are long-standing medical coding tools that identify patients that are sicker, frailer, or undergoing unusually complex procedures.—
Dr. John Guzzi,
Hartford Courant,
27 May 2026
Adjective
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Foxglove Foxglove features beautiful trumpet-like blossoms that are poisonous to cats.—
Amy DeYoung,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
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Some have thorns or spines, others have poisonous leaves or berries, and still others have…elaborate chemical defense alarm systems?—
Regina G. Barber,
NPR,
3 June 2026
Adjective
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Despite these measures, the rupee remains fragile.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
5 June 2026
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Glory to God, a facility that provides physical therapy, behavioral therapy, and schooling for medically fragile children, is among those affected.—
Morgan Rynor,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
Adjective
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Prosecutors argued at trial that Shirilla smashed into the building to end her toxic relationship with Russo, and Flanagan just happened to be along for the ride.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
30 May 2026
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Mourinho’s three-year reign was a turbulent era, played out along toxic battle-lines against one of the greatest sides in football history in Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona.—
Guillermo Rai,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
Adjective
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One night in April when the boy playing Orlando was home sick and Jamie was waiting for Adele in their private coital chamber, Bromley kept her late to work on the scene where Orlando courts Rosalind playing Ganymede playing Rosalind.—
Jonathan Franzen,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
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Recently, she’s begun to feel physically sick due to everything going on in her life and is sharing with us that she’s been struggling with getting up, eating and other simple, everyday things.—
Harriette Cole,
Mercury News,
1 June 2026
Adjective
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Onshore winds are pushing smoke from the Sandy fire into Los Angeles County, where neighborhoods from the San Fernando Valley to Arcadia could face unhealthful air for sensitive groups.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
22 May 2026
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The soil may contain pathogens, pesticides and other unhealthful things.—
Joan Morris,
Mercury News,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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As the story goes, attendance was weak, the weather was bad, and the tournament experience was just lacking.—
James Burky,
Denver Post,
29 May 2026
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As many as 40 states combine one-party control with institutional barriers weak enough to fall to political pressure.—
Bruce Sibley,
Time,
29 May 2026
Adjective
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Platform companies become unhealthy for any number of reasons.—
Louis Mosca,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
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The weather service’s Chicago office in a post Tuesday to social media attributed the alert to unhealthy ozone levels and warned air quality is expected to be at unhealthy levels for sensitive groups.—
Tess Kenny,
Chicago Tribune,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sickly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sickly. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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