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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Recent Examples of sickly
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
What danced across your palate in the first mouthful becomes a sickly chore by the end of the meal.
—Michael Irving, New Atlas, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sickly
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
What danced across your palate in the first mouthful becomes a sickly chore by the end of the meal.
—Michael Irving, New Atlas, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sickly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sickly
Adjective
-
The actor, to whom the film is dedicated, returns for one brief scene, looking very frail and obviously ill.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2025
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In rare cases, salmonella can result in more serious illness and can be fatal in young children, frail or elderly people and others with weakened immune systems.—
Lucia I Suarez Sang,
CBS News,
4 May 2025
Adjective
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The poisonous kernels are responsible for a significant number of suicides and homicides, particularly in rural areas of South Asia.—
Nina Foster,
JSTOR Daily,
30 May 2025
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Looking at her computer's search history, investigators found that Patterson looked up a website listing sightings of the poisonous mushroom.—
Britt Clennett,
ABC News,
30 May 2025
Adjective
-
By the time Trump met Kim for a second summit in Hanoi, Trump’s attention had drifted from North Korea, and both men’s greed for a quick deal derailed their fragile progress.—
John Delury,
Foreign Affairs,
3 June 2025
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That’s where trust can become fragile if leaders start to chase proxies instead of performance.—
Dr. Diane Hamilton,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
Adjective
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The explosion of money in the game in the past few years has made things only more toxic.—
Joe Rexrode,
New York Times,
29 May 2025
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As explained by Hill's Pet Nutrition, spicy food can be toxic for dogs and can lead to excessive thirst or even vomiting.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 May 2025
Adjective
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Each year, about 48 million people in the U.S. get sick with foodborne illnesses, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.—
Stephanie Armour,
Miami Herald,
29 May 2025
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Delta Flight 694 was diverted en route from Detroit to Los Angeles International Airport on Monday evening to allow a passenger and a sick dog to disembark in Minneapolis, according to a statement from the airline.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
28 May 2025
Adjective
-
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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Market Pulse Brooklyn’s Pulse index, a ratio of demand to supply, is down 2.8 points year-over-year, its weakest reading in five years, and sits at the bottom of the neutral range.—
John Walkup,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
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Neurologists worried that the urban environment, factory work and office jobs, and other modern pressures were making men tired, indecisive, and physically weak.—
Time,
Time,
3 June 2025
Adjective
-
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency declared an Air Pollution Action Day because widespread ozone and or particulate levels are expected to be at or above the unhealthy for sensitive groups category.—
Deanese Williams-Harris,
Chicago Tribune,
5 June 2025
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Air quality has reached unhealthy conditions in states such as Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sickly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sickly. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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