sickly Meaning & Definition
What Does Sickly Mean?
Sickly is an adjective that means Frequently ill or in poor health; weakly. It can also mean Not in good health; (somewhat) sick. As a verb, it means To make (something) sickly. As an adverb, it means In a sick manner; in a way that reflects or causes sickness.
Sickly in Brief
| Part of speech | adjective, verb, adverb |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈsɪkli/ |
| Synonyms | sallow, sick and ailing |
| Comparative / superlative | sicklier, sickliest |
| Verb forms | sicklies, sicklying, sicklied |
Sickly Definition (Adjective)
- Frequently ill or in poor health; weakly.
a sickly child
- Not in good health; (somewhat) sick.
- Characterized by poor or unhealthy growth.
- Appearing ill, infirm or unhealthy; giving the appearance of illness.
a sickly pallor
- Shedding a relatively small amount of light; (of light) not very bright.
- Lacking intensity or vigour.
a sickly smile
- Associated with poor moral or mental well-being.
- Tending to produce nausea.
a sickly smell; sickly sentimentality
- Overly sweet.
- Marked by the occurrence of illness or disease (of a period of time).
- Tending to produce disease or poor health.
a sickly autumn; a sickly climate
Sickly as a Verb
- To make (something) sickly.
- To become sickly.
Sickly as an Adverb
- In a sick manner; in a way that reflects or causes sickness.
sickly pale; to cough sickly
Adjective
- Frequently ill or in poor health.
a sickly child
- (of a plant) Characterized by poor or unhealthy growth.
Synonyms of Sickly
Sickly in a Sentence
a sickly child
a sickly pallor
a sickly smile
a sickly winter sun
a sickly smell; sickly sentimentality
a sickly autumn; a sickly climate
sickly pale; to cough sickly
Word Forms & Grammar
sickly (comparative sicklier, superlative sickliest)
sickly (third-person singular simple present sicklies, present participle sicklying, simple past and past participle sicklied)
sickly (comparative more sickly, superlative most sickly)
Words That Rhyme With Sickly
Origin of Sickly
Origin 1: From Middle English seekly, sekely, siklich, sekeliche, equivalent to sick + -ly. Possibly a modification of Old English sīcle (“sickly”) and/or derived from Old Norse sjúkligr (“sickly”). Cognate with Dutch ziekelijk, Middle High German siechlich, Danish sygelig, Swedish sjuklig, Icelandic sjúklegur. The verb is from the adjective.[1]
Origin 2: From sick + -ly.[2]
Common Questions About Sickly
Is sickly an adjective or a verb?
Sickly is mainly used as an adjective, but it can also be used as a verb and an adverb.
What is another word for sickly?
You can replace sickly with words such as sallow, sick and ailing. See the full list of sickly synonyms and antonyms.
What is the past tense of sickly?
The past tense of sickly is sicklied. The present participle is sicklying.
What are the comparative and superlative forms of sickly?
The comparative form is sicklier and the superlative form is sickliest.