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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Recent Examples of sickly
But does that mean that vegans are going against human’s evolutionary history and are bound to be weak, sickly, and even stupid?
—
Marianne Krasny, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025
The collection of slab-like columns by Derek McLane, lit in sickly, sullen colors by Natasha Katz, could be anywhere.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2025
The color-grading choice was particularly popular in movies at the turn of the millennium, a sickly tint that conveyed metropolitan gothic sensibilities and disaffection while amping up the physical sallowness of already-pallid leads.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2025
What danced across your palate in the first mouthful becomes a sickly chore by the end of the meal.
—Michael Irving, New Atlas, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sickly
Marianne Krasny, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025
The collection of slab-like columns by Derek McLane, lit in sickly, sullen colors by Natasha Katz, could be anywhere.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2025
The color-grading choice was particularly popular in movies at the turn of the millennium, a sickly tint that conveyed metropolitan gothic sensibilities and disaffection while amping up the physical sallowness of already-pallid leads.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2025
What danced across your palate in the first mouthful becomes a sickly chore by the end of the meal.
—Michael Irving, New Atlas, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sickly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sickly
Adjective
-
The actor, to whom the film is dedicated, returns for one brief scene, looking very frail and obviously ill.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2025
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In rare cases, salmonella can result in more serious illness and can be fatal in young children, frail or elderly people and others with weakened immune systems.—
Lucia I Suarez Sang,
CBS News,
4 May 2025
Adjective
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The last time fans saw her as Britt, she was attacked by a serial killer and died from his poisonous hook.—
Lynette Rice,
Deadline,
6 June 2025
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Spiders More than 900 species of spiders call Texas home, including two poisonous types — the black widow and brown recluse.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 June 2025
Adjective
-
Their batting line-up appeared particularly fragile.—
Tristan Lavalette,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2025
-
When Klarna struck a partnership deal with food delivery group DoorDash in March, journalists seized on the notion of consumers paying for pizzas in installments as evidence of BNPL lenders tempting customers to overextend in a fragile economy.—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
13 June 2025
Adjective
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Law enforcement warned that burning lithium-ion batteries used in the cars release toxic gases, posing possible health risks.—
Danielle Chemtob,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
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The titular metaphor refers to a healing herb that becomes toxic in the wrong dosage, much as love requires the right proportions to find harmony.—
Jenn Pelly,
Time,
7 June 2025
Adjective
-
There is another current salmonella outbreak linked to cucumbers that has already left 45 people sick and 16 hospitalized across 18 states.—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
9 June 2025
-
Some of the samples tested positive for Salmonella and additional testing found that the samples were closely related to the Salmonella found in sick people.—
Amber Brenza,
Health,
8 June 2025
Adjective
-
The unhealthful effects of autocracy remain robust even when accounting for economic differences and when excluding Venezuela and its collapsing health-care system.—
Thomas J. Bollyky,
Foreign Affairs,
30 Jan. 2020
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However, communities in the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains were still experiencing unhealthful air quality, according to the air district.—
Tony Briscoe,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Sep. 2024
Adjective
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In sum, there is a weak case, at best, for some kind of standardization of non-financial KPIs.—
Shivaram Rajgopal,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2025
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But many Tea Party nominees proved to be weak general election candidates when running for Senate, delaying Republican control of the upper chamber until 2014.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
13 June 2025
Adjective
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The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency declared an Air Pollution Action Day because widespread ozone and or particulate levels are expected to be at or above the unhealthy for sensitive groups category.—
Deanese Williams-Harris,
Chicago Tribune,
5 June 2025
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Air quality has reached unhealthy conditions in states such as Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sickly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sickly. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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