sick

1 of 2

adjective

sicker; sickest
1
a(1)
: affected with disease or ill health : ailing
(2)
: of, relating to, or intended for use in sickness
took five sick days this month
a sick ward
b
: queasy, nauseated
sick to one's stomach
was sick in the car
c
: undergoing menstruation
2
: spiritually or morally unsound or corrupt
3
a
: sickened by strong emotion
sick with fear
worried sick
b
: having a strong distaste from surfeit : satiated
sick of flattery
c
: filled with disgust or chagrin
gossip makes me sick
d
: depressed and longing for something
sick for one's home
4
a
: mentally or emotionally unsound or disordered : morbid
sick thoughts
b
: highly distasteful : macabre, sadistic
sick jokes
a sick crime
5
: lacking vigor : sickly: such as
a
: badly outclassed
made the competition look sick
b
: incapable of producing profitable yields of a crop
sick soils
6
slang : outstandingly or amazingly good or impressive
Rookie was phenomenal Friday. His goal was nice, but the pass to twin brother, Chris, … was downright sick.Roy Lang III

sick

2 of 2

noun

British

Examples of sick in a Sentence

Adjective He is at home sick in bed. She is sick with the flu. I'm too sick to go to work. The medicine just made me sicker. The sickest patients are in intensive care. My poor rosebush looks sick. She has been on the sick list all week. The way they treat people makes me sick.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Adjective
Desperate to save his sick daughter, working-class Ben Richards (Glen Powell) is convinced by the show’s charming but ruthless producer, Dan Killian (Josh Brolin), to enter the game as a last resort. Zac Ntim, Deadline, 1 July 2025 Alaska, Michigan, and Maine are among the latest states with paid sick or family leave laws on the books. Jim Edwards, Fortune, 1 July 2025 In October 2023, after two years of no dating — preoccupied caring for her sick parents and recovering from a difficult break-up — Shirley Williams, 39, implemented a new strategy to find her husband. Meagan Jordan, Rolling Stone, 30 June 2025 My family had to make very hard decisions about filling prescriptions after my dad got sick and lost his insurance or putting food on the table. Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for sick

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English sek, sik, from Old English sēoc; akin to Old High German sioh sick

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Noun

1957, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sick was before the 12th century

Cite this Entry

“Sick.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sick. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

sick

adjective
ˈsik
1
a
: affected with disease or ill health
b
: of, relating to, or intended for use in sickness
sick pay
a sick ward
c
: affected with or accompanied by nausea : queasy sense 1
felt sick to her stomach
2
a
: badly upset by strong emotion
sick with shame
worried sick
b
: tired of something from having too much of it
sick of their whining
c
: filled with disgust
such gossip makes me sick
3
: mentally or emotionally unsound or disturbed
sick thoughts

Medical Definition

sick

adjective
1
a
: affected with disease or ill health
b
: of, relating to, or intended for use in sickness
a sick ward
c
: affected with nausea : inclined to vomit or being in the act of vomiting
sick to one's stomach
was sick in the car
2
: mentally or emotionally unsound or disordered

More from Merriam-Webster on sick

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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