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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This was the spring of 2020, however, and the impossibilities of international travel, and my dad’s frail health, delayed the journey.—
Eliza Griswold,
New Yorker,
19 Apr. 2025
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The op-ed also followed Biden's frail performance against President Donald Trump in the June 27 presidential debate.—
Brenton Blanchet,
People.com,
17 Apr. 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
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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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Green 1 and 2: Both banned in 1965 due to a potential link to cancer. Sudan 1 and Butter Yellow: Banned in 1919 after it was found to be toxic and potentially carcinogenic.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
24 Apr. 2025
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The streets also expose them to all sorts of rodenticides, toxic plants, and chemicals, which can be fatal to felines.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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It seems squarely aimed at making kids sick by discouraging vaccination.—
Dan Vergano,
Scientific American,
23 Apr. 2025
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Steward said his daughter, while surfing nearby, became sick with an infection from a type of bacteria called MRSA, which is resistant to many antibiotics.—
Ian James,
Los Angeles Times,
23 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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Dell Technologies’ balance sheet appears relatively weak.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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Meta Chief Legal Officer Jennifer Newstead called the case weak and a deterrent to tech investment in a blog post on Sunday.—
Jody Godoy,
USA Today,
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 28 Apr. 2025.
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