sickly

American  

[sik-lee] / ˈsɪk li /

adjective

sicklier, sickliest

1. not strong; unhealthy; ailing.

   Synonyms:

   infirm , feeble , sick , puny , weak , frail

2. of, connected with, or arising from ill health.

   a sickly complexion.

3. marked by the prevalence of ill health, as a region.

   the epidemic left the town sickly.

4. causing sickness.

5. nauseating.

6. maudlin and insipid; mawkish.

   sickly sentimentality.

7. faint or feeble, as light or color.

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adverb

1. in a sick or sickly manner.

verb (used with object)

sicklied, sicklying

1. to cover with a sickly hue.

sickly British  

/ ˈsɪklɪ /

adjective

1. disposed to frequent ailments; not healthy; weak

2. of, relating to, or caused by sickness

3. (of a smell, taste, etc) causing revulsion or nausea

4. (of light or colour) faint or feeble

5. mawkish; insipid

   sickly affectation

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adverb

1. in a sick or sickly manner

Other Word Forms

• sickliness noun

Etymology

Origin of sickly

1300–50; Middle English siklich, sekly (adj.). See sick ¹, -ly

Example Sentences

But it’s not wrong that the movement is starting to look a little sickly.

From Salon

Furthering the sickly mojo, Gustav wants to stage his version of the hanging in the very room where it happened.

From Los Angeles Times

Smith was a sickly child, contracting bronchial pneumonia, tuberculosis, German measles, mumps and chicken pox which kept her in "periods of lengthy bed rest".

From BBC

While the series is very much up for grabs, Tuesday’s loss makes one thing very sickly certain.

From Los Angeles Times

Esteemed horror veteran Mike Flanagan is an executive producer and you can sense Stuckmann grabbing aimlessly in the last third for the kind of sickly visual elegance that is Flanagan’s deliberative style.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• ailing
• cranky
• feeble
• infirm
• lackluster