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sickly

sickly

30 2.6
Often ill and looking weak or pale
  • adjective
  • /ˈsɪkli/
translation icon : enfermizo
  • As a child, he was often sickly and frequently missed school due to illness.
  • a sickly child
  • weak and sickly

He sounds like a weird, gross, sickly pale motherfucker right here.

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Examples

  • But she was so little, so sickly, from wee-born to a pup, and you, Cadi, you were so full of life and spunk.

  • She has one daughter, Anne, who is unfortunately of a sickly constitution.

  • I was a very sickly child, like many people.

  • I asked God how a sickly little boy could think he owned me.

  • Maybe that was the first sign I was going to be sickly and die young.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • OK, looking quite sickly in this mirror today.

  • "Oh, this guy looks sickly."

  • About the siege, about the old days, about her youth, about how sickly Danny had been as a baby.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • She was a bit sickly in her early years.

  • His lips had gone white, and a sickly grey cast had descended over his face.

    Fiction book (1990)

Synonyms

sick
vssickly
1.0

Not well because of illness

adds the idea of repeated illness and weak, unhealthy appearance
ill
vssickly
632 1.0

Not feeling well because of sickness

focuses more on repeated sickness and a weak, unhealthy look
unhealthy
vssickly
117 1.6

Not good for your health and likely to cause illness

applies to people who are often ill or look weak rather than risk factors
under the weather
vssickly
  • Informal
21 5.3

Feeling slightly ill and not your usual self

suggests persistent illness or a generally weak, unhealthy look instead
unwell
vssickly
18 1.0

Feeling slightly sick or uncomfortable

is about repeated illness and appearing weak rather than a short illness
haggard
vssickly
12 7.0

Looking very tired and pale from worry, illness, or lack of food

is about regular illness and looking weak rather than extreme tiredness
sallow
vssickly
7 7.7

A yellow or pale brown skin color that looks unhealthy

focuses on general frequent illness and weakness rather than skin color alone
ailing
vssickly
3 5.6

Having poor health and often getting sick

stresses both frequent illness and an unhealthy look rather than just illness
waly
vssickly
  • Archaic
9.9

Appearing weak and sick and needing care

emphasizes frequent illness or looking weak rather than old-fashioned tone
poorly
vssickly
2.8

Feeling ill or not well

implies ongoing poor health and a weak, unhealthy appearance instead
peaked
vssickly
  • UK
7.2

Looking pale and weak, as if unwell

refers more broadly to repeated illness and general unhealthy appearance
wan
vssickly
7.4

Pale in the face and looking sick or unhappy

covers frequent illness and an overall weak unhealthy look rather than only paleness

Antonyms

695 1.0

In good body and mind condition without sickness or injury

112 3.9

Strong and able to work well in difficult conditions

How Sick

sick
1.0
sickly
30 2.6
ailing
3 5.6
unwell
18 1.0
well
142 1.0

Surface Forms

sickly positive

Morphology

sickly = sick (transparent) = sick + ly

The adjective is directly formed from 'sick' + the adjectival suffix '-ly', so learners who know 'sick' can infer this meaning.

Etymology

The word sickly comes from the simple word sick ('ill') plus the ending -ly which means 'in a ... way' or 'like'. So sickly literally means 'in an ill way', which is why we use it for someone who is often ill or who looks weak and unhealthy.