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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Obviously the risk of infection is increased in the immunocompromised and frail.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Mar. 2025
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In November, the pair found Cali in Mexico looking malnourished and frail.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The machine fed the Southern identity a poisonous diet for three decades.—
Peter Greene,
Forbes.com,
1 Apr. 2025
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The editorial didn’t advise how to overcome tribal hatred and instead focused on the poisonous news of today — disruption and disorder in town halls and political vandalism of Tesla cars.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Newborn caterpillars are too fragile to endure the sort of violent conflicts observed in other territorial animals, from ants to elephants, which can be deadly.—
Becky Ferreira,
New York Times,
4 Apr. 2025
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For those with fragile hair, Philip Kingsley’s fortifying shampoo aims to give the appearance of thicker, stronger strands.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
4 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
-
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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However, this same quantum state sensitivity makes these atoms ideal for detecting extremely weak signals.—
Paul Lipman,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
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In contrast, the founders of the United States, fearful of tyranny, created a weak federal government that could barely impose taxes, let alone establish a national theater.—
Joanna Dee Das,
The Conversation,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The study team then classified the food consumption by measuring how close the consumption pattern was to eight types of healthy diets and to the consumption of unhealthy ultraprocessed food.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
6 Apr. 2025
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Best and worst sources of protein The best protein sources are those that offer a balance of protein, vitamins, minerals and fiber while being low in unhealthy fats, Routhenstein said.—
Perri Ormont Blumberg Fox News,
FOXNews.com,
4 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sickly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sickly. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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