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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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sickly
No matter how much you are tempted, sickly plants should be kept out of the greenhouse.
—
Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 16 Apr. 2025
But does that mean that vegans are going against human’s evolutionary history and are bound to be weak, sickly, and even stupid?
—Marianne Krasny, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025
The collection of slab-like columns by Derek McLane, lit in sickly, sullen colors by Natasha Katz, could be anywhere.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2025
The color-grading choice was particularly popular in movies at the turn of the millennium, a sickly tint that conveyed metropolitan gothic sensibilities and disaffection while amping up the physical sallowness of already-pallid leads.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sickly
Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 16 Apr. 2025
But does that mean that vegans are going against human’s evolutionary history and are bound to be weak, sickly, and even stupid?
—Marianne Krasny, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025
The collection of slab-like columns by Derek McLane, lit in sickly, sullen colors by Natasha Katz, could be anywhere.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2025
The color-grading choice was particularly popular in movies at the turn of the millennium, a sickly tint that conveyed metropolitan gothic sensibilities and disaffection while amping up the physical sallowness of already-pallid leads.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sickly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sickly
Adjective
-
The frail but determined Francis greeted thousands in St. Peter's Square after Easter Mass in his open-air popemobile, just five weeks after a hospital stay.—
Quinlan Bentley,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
-
Very old or frail tapestries may be best framed to protect them.—
Kristina McGuirk,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 June 2025
Adjective
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Erin Patterson has been found guilty of murdering three relatives with poisonous mushrooms following a trial that has gripped the world.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
7 July 2025
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The atmosphere in the Rockies’ clubhouse is not toxic, unlike Chicago’s, which reportedly was poisonous for much of last season.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
4 July 2025
Adjective
-
They’ve been counted on to fix what breaks, carry what slips, hold what’s fragile.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
-
Unlike other thin, fragile flats that offer little wear before falling apart, these are reinforced with Vionic’s trademark cushioning, a removable insert, and premium upper materials.—
Kayla Blanton,
People.com,
9 July 2025
Adjective
-
Besides the Gitmo prosecution, which will now resume — assuming the U.S. Supreme Court doesn’t side with KSM — also continuing is the agony for people whose health was damaged by the toxic cloud that rose over New York when the World Trade Center fell.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
15 July 2025
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This felt therapeutic, an antidote to the toxic diet of overly personal information that we are fed daily by our phones.—
Guy Trebay,
Travel + Leisure,
15 July 2025
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 change comes amid concerns about fireworks causing unhealthful air.—
Rong-Gong Lin II,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2025
-
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
Adjective
-
Precious metals and mining stocks were weak across both markets.—
Brendan Ahern,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
-
In October 2005, a Finnish court acquitted Gustafsson, ruling the evidence against him was too weak and inconsistent.—
Christina Coulter,
People.com,
8 July 2025
Adjective
-
What to Know On Friday, the Air Quality Index (AQI) was expected to reach the purple category (between 201 and 300), or the very unhealthy level.—
Anna Skinner,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 July 2025
-
Here’s what she’s learned about how to spot bad bosses and avoid unhealthy workplaces.—
Sophie Caldwell,
CNBC,
11 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sickly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sickly. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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