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
The sight of the Kelly-green jerseys, against the sickly inchworm green of Veterans Stadium’s diabolical artificial turf, got its talons in me.
—
Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025
In George Stevens’ 1956 epic Giant, Del Rey played the sickly Mrs. Obregon, who is cared for along with her baby by Taylor’s Leslie Benedict as an impatient Jett Rink (Dean) tries to rush her.
—Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 27 Feb. 2025
Scenes centered on corporate stooges or government administrators are cast in bland browns and sickly yellows, while moments based in nature or the afterlife are bursting with bright blues, pinks, and greens.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 10 Feb. 2025
The water was a blur of teal fringed with rusty shadows, darkening, about twenty feet below, to a sickly emerald.
—Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sickly
Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025
In George Stevens’ 1956 epic Giant, Del Rey played the sickly Mrs. Obregon, who is cared for along with her baby by Taylor’s Leslie Benedict as an impatient Jett Rink (Dean) tries to rush her.
—Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 27 Feb. 2025
Scenes centered on corporate stooges or government administrators are cast in bland browns and sickly yellows, while moments based in nature or the afterlife are bursting with bright blues, pinks, and greens.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 10 Feb. 2025
The water was a blur of teal fringed with rusty shadows, darkening, about twenty feet below, to a sickly emerald.
—Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sickly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sickly
Adjective
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But there’s this very vulnerable and frail side to him.—
Chris O'Falt,
IndieWire,
6 Mar. 2025
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Remind Them of Their Strength No doubt this layoff or firing has left them feeling frail.—
Roberta Matuson,
Forbes,
3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Though gorgeous with color, azaleas are poisonous to animals and humans when ingested.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
8 Apr. 2025
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Every part of the pong pong tree is poisonous, but the leaves and barks aren’t as potent as the seeds.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Israel Defense Forces leveled a village in northern Gaza in the days following the collapse of the fragile ceasefire that went into effect earlier this year.—
Kerem Inal,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2025
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Together these missions have let planetary scientists like me study pristine, fragile carbonaceous material from asteroids.—
Patrick M. Shober,
The Conversation,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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In lieu of discussions of who is best for the role artistically, the question becomes who will sell more tickets (Ivy has 3 million followers but TikTok influencers rally around Chloe) and create a less toxic workplace.—
Christian Lewis,
Variety,
11 Apr. 2025
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And this fixation with coming out on top goes beyond run-of-the-mill comparisons, Baker says, and enters more toxic territory.—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Listen to this article Unvaccinated people who visited Denver Health’s emergency department on Sunday should monitor themselves for signs of measles after a sick child received care there.—
Meg Wingerter,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2025
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His mother was still sick, and Mr. Sancho-Persad started working as her caregiver in the morning for $18.75 an hour, paid through Medicaid, while still driving his cab at night.—
Jonah Markowitz,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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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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Carbonaceous chondrites tend to be weaker and more crumbly than other meteorites, so these objects just don’t stand as much of a chance.—
Patrick M. Shober,
The Conversation,
14 Apr. 2025
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Then, McIlroy hit a weak drive to the right and was blocked by pines.—
Time,
Time,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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That includes toxic romantic relationships, unbalanced friendships and familial bonds, unhealthy work environments, and more.—
Victoria Uwumarogie,
Essence,
18 Apr. 2025
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Americans increasingly view alcohol as unhealthy, with recent studies linking alcohol to cancer, and federal health officials attribute 178,000 deaths a year to excess drinking.—
Robert McCoppin,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sickly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sickly. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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