SICKLY Synonyms: 59 Similar and Opposite Words

sickly

adjective

ˈsi-klē

Definition of sickly

as in frail

chronically or repeatedly suffering from poor health a sickly foal that seemed to catch everything that the other horses had

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of sickly Eleanor, now sickly and desperate, clings to her husband completely unaware of his plans to leave her. — Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2026 Seeing her daughter in that state, babbling nonsense and barely able to stand, Letizia had goggled with the watery eyes of a sickly old lady. — Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2026 Work took place in the spring and early summer and the pool was refilled in June, but an algae bloom returned just days later, turning the pool a sickly green color. — Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026 In the heyday of her career, her choppy hair, flat chest, sickly pallor and large darting eyes were a manic pixie dream. — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 3 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for sickly

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sickly

Adjective

At a concert this past weekend in Cincinnati, the Beach Boys’ first show since July, apart from a private performance in Dana Point, California, Love appeared somewhat frail, according to a fan video.

— Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026
The curtain then opened to reveal a frail Mike Love seated in a chair at the center of the stage.

— Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of frail

Adjective

With the throne disengaged from governance, petitions and reports from officials piled up unread, crucial state posts went unfilled, and the imperial bureaucracy splintered amid poisonous factional infighting.

— Carl Minzner, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026
With this potential even more poisonous investments in the bloated and indebted Paramount behemoth, there’s even more reason to reject it.

— Abigail Disney, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of poisonous

Adjective

Dating back to 1898, the book is now a fragile specimen, protected in a clear plastic box that still allows for viewing.

— Patricia Babcock McGraw OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
The worst of El Niño is still months away, but Southern California’s fragile coastline is already being transformed by record-setting king tides and storm surges.

— Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of fragile

Adjective

All of this means a highly unpredictable world is the brain’s worst nightmare—and the uncertainty that results can quickly become toxic.

— Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
The arrival of hunter-killer chemistry suggests this persistent toxic legacy might finally be coming to an end.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of toxic

Adjective

The goats’ dire situation first came to light when a former dairy employee raised concerns after witnessing emaciated and sick animals on the property, the former employee told the Idaho Statesman last year.

— Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 16 Oct. 2026
What’s interesting is that Conan Doyle got sick of writing Sherlock Holmes.

— Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of sick

Adjective

Warnings of unhealthful air quality remained in effect Saturday across a wide swath of the United States due to smoke from Canadian wildfires that has engulfed the Northeast in haze for days.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 18 July 2026
The soil may contain pathogens, pesticides and other unhealthful things.

— Joan Morris, Mercury News, 9 Feb. 2026

Definition of unhealthful

Adjective

To be sure, practicing a zest for life can be harder for those who have physical illness and pain and those who engage in unhealthy lifestyle behaviors.

— Joan M. Cook, Time, 17 Oct. 2026
Air quality in Singapore remained unhealthy on Thursday, as smoke from widespread fires in Indonesia's Kalimantan region continued to drift toward the city-state, according to the National Environment Agency.

— Jenny Lee,Zechariah Chan, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of unhealthy

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sickliness

sickly

sickness

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“Sickly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sickly. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of sickly

adjective

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