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
Sulfuric acid rains down through the sickly yellow sky but never reaches the lava-licked ground.
—
Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
Ryan didn’t waver about his feelings in a follow-up after his sickly outing.
—David Brown, Twin Cities, 8 Sep. 2025
Cinematographer James Friend creates a purgatorial realm of disorienting angles and neon lights too sickly to be beautiful, the nightmarishness further underlined by Volker Bertelman’s thundering score.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 30 Aug. 2025
There are some exceptions to this guideline, like when a neighbor allows a sickly tree to decline rather than taking care of the problem.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sickly
Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
Ryan didn’t waver about his feelings in a follow-up after his sickly outing.
—David Brown, Twin Cities, 8 Sep. 2025
Cinematographer James Friend creates a purgatorial realm of disorienting angles and neon lights too sickly to be beautiful, the nightmarishness further underlined by Volker Bertelman’s thundering score.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 30 Aug. 2025
There are some exceptions to this guideline, like when a neighbor allows a sickly tree to decline rather than taking care of the problem.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sickly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sickly
Adjective
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Hospitals became a backstop for complications and for the frailest cases, while communities worked to strengthen local food sources.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
5 Nov. 2025
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But in young children, frail or elderly people, and those with weakened immune systems, Listeria can be deadly.—
Jenna Anderson,
Health,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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For all their sophistication—transforming a poisonous root and its leaves into a whole range of delicacies is no mean feat—for years such dishes were seen by the city’s elite as the food of poverty.—
Michael Snyder,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Nov. 2025
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By appointing a man who was deeply unpopular with fans by the end of his reign so recently, though, Wolves would have been condemning him and his players to working in a poisonous environment from day one.—
Steve Madeley,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Friday’s launch underscores the fragile security situation on the peninsula and highlights ongoing tensions as North Korea continues to expand its missile capabilities.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
7 Nov. 2025
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Moraes was operating within a young and fragile constitution ratified in 1988 after years of autocratic rule, Brandao said, one that had failed so far to stem pervasive corruption in the country.—
Ron Kampeas,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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No politician will want to be associated with a team that is now toxic.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Nov. 2025
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King invented The Network at a time when people were still processing the toxic relationship between mass entertainment and mind control, and while the thrust of his story may not have aged a day, the medium is the message, and that medium has changed.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
11 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Raimondo Orsi had already gone back to Argentina to look after his sick mother, and Luis Monti had retired.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
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Air traffic controllers tasked with managing aircraft movements on runways and in the skies are working without pay during the shutdown, leading to more controllers calling in sick and triggering short staff warnings from the FAA.—
Alysa Guffey,
IndyStar,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The change comes amid concerns about fireworks causing unhealthful air.—
Rong-Gong Lin II,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2025
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Health professionals encourage people to use lean cuts of meat because most of the fat in animal products is unhealthful saturated fat, which can raise the risk of heart disease and cancer.—
Bethany Thayer,
Detroit Free Press,
22 June 2024
Adjective
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Western countries could exploit weak points in supply chains for many of Russia's advanced fighter jets, including by tightening up sanctions as Ukraine strikes Russia's industrial facilities, according to a new report.—
Ellie Cook,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Nov. 2025
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Respiratory difficulty, constipation, poor feeding, drooping eyelids and a weak and altered cry are among the symptoms of infant botulism.—
Chad Murphy,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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But not all foods that fit the definition of ultra-processed are unhealthy, says Julia Wolfson, an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.—
Maria Godoy,
NPR,
10 Nov. 2025
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The findings contrast with the traditional assumption that coffee promotes unhealthy heart rhythms, according to the study.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
10 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sickly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sickly. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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