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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sickly
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
Given the choice of pulling out of half of their in-game buys during the sleepier quarters, marketers may choose to exercise those options if a recession is in full, sickly bloom.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 3 Apr. 2026
With such a sheer volume of work coming out, the anime market can get crowded, and its easy for these works to bleed together into a vague blob of gag comedies, action-adventure shows, and sickly-sweet romances.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 3 Apr. 2026
Smog compromised the health of kids and the sickly and the elderly.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sickly
Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026
Given the choice of pulling out of half of their in-game buys during the sleepier quarters, marketers may choose to exercise those options if a recession is in full, sickly bloom.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 3 Apr. 2026
With such a sheer volume of work coming out, the anime market can get crowded, and its easy for these works to bleed together into a vague blob of gag comedies, action-adventure shows, and sickly-sweet romances.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 3 Apr. 2026
Smog compromised the health of kids and the sickly and the elderly.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sickly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sickly
Adjective
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Exceptions will be made for people who are too medically frail to work or in addiction treatment programs, among others.—
Geoff Mulvihill,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
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Exceptions will be made for people who are too medically frail to work or in addiction treatment programs, among others.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Hydrangeas are poisonous to dogs and cats.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
2 May 2026
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Restoring the balance of the humors through profusely bleeding the patient or inducing vomiting or diarrhea with the poisonous plant hellebore.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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American frontier labs hold the lead on models, chips, and lithography — but the report finds near-unanimous conviction among leaders that this advantage is fragile.—
Rachel Keidan,
semafor.com,
7 May 2026
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Although the population size seems to be stable, threats from climate change — rising ocean levels surrounding small islands — and from the ongoing loss of their habitat to human development will take a toll on their already fragile island worlds over the coming decades.—
Craig Stanford,
Big Think,
7 May 2026
Adjective
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Northern India already has some of the world’s most polluted air, created by a toxic mix of vehicle and industrial emissions, crop residue burning, and construction dust.—
Ayushi Shah,
CNN Money,
9 May 2026
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Veterinarians recommend knowing which flowers are toxic, which are safer for pets and what to do if exposure happens.—
Taneia Surles,
USA Today,
9 May 2026
Adjective
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The virus was first detected by health officials in Johannesburg, South Africa on May 2 after a British man became sick and was taken into intensive care, 21 days after another passenger had died.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
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This spread is usually limited to people who have close contact with a sick person.—
Alex Nitzberg,
FOXNews.com,
11 May 2026
Adjective
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The soil may contain pathogens, pesticides and other unhealthful things.—
Joan Morris,
Mercury News,
9 Feb. 2026
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The change comes amid concerns about fireworks causing unhealthful air.—
Rong-Gong Lin II,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2025
Adjective
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Meanwhile, the rest of the NBA is widely expected to be more competitive next season — from the bottom tier, where anti-tanking regulations and a weaker draft class should curb teams’ intentional losing, to the upper echelons, where Oklahoma City and San Antonio stand tall.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
8 May 2026
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Conditions change quickly, signals conflict with each other, and weak assumptions tend to get exposed without much delay.—
Lyssanoel Frater,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
Adjective
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The agency advises limiting outdoor activities during unhealthy air days.—
Forum News Service,
Twin Cities,
8 May 2026
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Whether at the grocery store, or driving past a fast-food restaurant, she's less tempted to buy an extra or unhealthy snack.—
Betty Lin-Fisher,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sickly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sickly. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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