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
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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
-
Kids get hurt and get sick, like anyone else; every year, a few in the practice battle life-threatening illness, often cancer.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
14 July 2025
-
Mission Viejo raced to the title while playing without wide receiver Vance Spafford (sick), cornerback Jeron Jones (fractured wrist), safeties Sawyer Thomson (knee) and Zachary Foeldi (knee) and wide receiver Max Markofski (hip).—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
13 July 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
-
But there's also nothing worse than missing a connection that delays your trip by hours or even a full day.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
10 July 2025
-
Tom threw batting practice to Jackson, took Ethan down in the garage to vent and hit soft toss after a bad day at school.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
10 July 2025
Adjective
-
Thursday’s Wimbledon semifinal between Aryna Sabalenka and American Amanda Anisimova was halted by two stoppages in the first set due to spectators being taken ill in the stands.—
Leon Imber,
New York Times,
10 July 2025
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Who would speak ill about a child that has had dozens of surgeries and is so blessed to even be here with us today?—
John Lawson,
Essence,
9 July 2025
Adjective
-
Swing down bed rails are great when getting in and out of bed or changing sheets.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
7 July 2025
-
With a down year in the rearview, Prescott and the Cowboys are looking forward to having a clean slate soon.—
Justin Grasso,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Peaky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/peaky. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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