as in sick
temporarily suffering from a disorder of the body
her mother announced that she still looked peaky, and felt her forehead for a fever
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 peaky
The curveball in all this is Verstappen, whose Red Bull future has become a significant talking point once again amid the team’s difficulties with a peaky car that will surely test his championship defense.
—
Luke Smith, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025
In reality, though, because the TCL’s tone mapping is not as effective as that of the Samsung TV, the TCL’s brightness can cause clipping and leave the image looking ‘peaky’ and unbalanced.
—John Archer, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024
Local surf guides will take wave riders to fun, peaky beach breaks or barreling reefs.
—Noah Lederman, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2024
Photo : The Hover Bureau The one-bedroom, two-bath guesthouse has a living room clad in peaky cypress paneling.
—Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 6 Mar. 2025
Local surf guides will take wave riders to fun, peaky beach breaks or barreling reefs.
—Noah Lederman, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2024
The powerband was peaky, with the turbos coming alive above 2500 rpm, accompanied by a distinct whistle.
—Brett Berk, Car and Driver, 4 Sep. 2023
The buzzy and peaky four-cylinder isn't a good match for the eight-speed automatic transmission, which is reluctant to downshift.
—Joey Capparella, Car and Driver, 4 Aug. 2023
Moreover, although the power peaks are identical in both engines, the SE motor's much lower torque peak represents a considerable flattening of the rotary's traditionally peaky torque curve.
—Csaba Csere, Car and Driver, 1 Feb. 2023
Luke Smith, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025
In reality, though, because the TCL’s tone mapping is not as effective as that of the Samsung TV, the TCL’s brightness can cause clipping and leave the image looking ‘peaky’ and unbalanced.
—John Archer, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024
Local surf guides will take wave riders to fun, peaky beach breaks or barreling reefs.
—Noah Lederman, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2024
Photo : The Hover Bureau The one-bedroom, two-bath guesthouse has a living room clad in peaky cypress paneling.
—Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 6 Mar. 2025
Local surf guides will take wave riders to fun, peaky beach breaks or barreling reefs.
—Noah Lederman, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2024
The powerband was peaky, with the turbos coming alive above 2500 rpm, accompanied by a distinct whistle.
—Brett Berk, Car and Driver, 4 Sep. 2023
The buzzy and peaky four-cylinder isn't a good match for the eight-speed automatic transmission, which is reluctant to downshift.
—Joey Capparella, Car and Driver, 4 Aug. 2023
Moreover, although the power peaks are identical in both engines, the SE motor's much lower torque peak represents a considerable flattening of the rotary's traditionally peaky torque curve.
—Csaba Csere, Car and Driver, 1 Feb. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for peaky
Adjective
-
Each year, about 48 million people in the U.S. get sick with foodborne illnesses, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.—
Stephanie Armour,
Miami Herald,
29 May 2025
-
Delta Flight 694 was diverted en route from Detroit to Los Angeles International Airport on Monday evening to allow a passenger and a sick dog to disembark in Minneapolis, according to a statement from the airline.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
28 May 2025
Adjective
-
The researchers and their partners are also working to track local residents’ health and to measure how well or poorly interventions like masks and household air filters protected them.—
Maggie Astor,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
-
Both the United States and the United Nations have stepped back from leadership roles, a reflection of how poorly interventions in Haiti have gone and also the wide range of issues in other parts of the world at the moment.—
Adam Taylor,
Washington Post,
7 Mar. 2024
Adjective
-
Anything under par around here in these conditions isn't a bad score.—
Julio Cesar Valdera Morales,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 May 2025
-
Glorifying motherhood, meanwhile, in practical terms, may only make mothers’ daily lives worse.—
Lily Meyer,
The Atlantic,
23 May 2025
Adjective
-
George had lived there for eight years, while Cookie, a chronically ill stray, appeared around 2020.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 May 2025
-
However, some people at standard risk of COVID-19 will get seriously ill from the infection, and some will die from it.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2025
Adjective
-
Lukas Hradecky is the club’s current number one and captain, but had a down season compared to the year before.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
1 June 2025
-
Here are the best down comforters after months of testing.—
Rebecca Jones,
Southern Living,
30 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Peaky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/peaky. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share