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
Anyway, the pale and sickly Antonio (Grande) is the son of Rudolph and Samberg, blessed with a heavenly singing voice.
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Andy Hoglund, EW.com, 13 Oct. 2024
The Collegeville outfit came with the mask of a scowling pirate with an open eye-patch that looked more like a black eye and a sickly green pallor that would shiver the timbers of the saltiest sea dog.
—René Guzman, San Antonio Express-News, 2 Oct. 2024
Orcs are conspicuous outliers in this regard, with actors’ skin hidden under thick layers of sickly makeup.
—Caitlin Penzeymoog, Vox, 7 Oct. 2024
The film will chronicle Amritraj’s remarkable journey from a sickly child in Chennai, India to his ascension as a tennis star and Hollywood figure.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 1 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sickly 
Andy Hoglund, EW.com, 13 Oct. 2024
The Collegeville outfit came with the mask of a scowling pirate with an open eye-patch that looked more like a black eye and a sickly green pallor that would shiver the timbers of the saltiest sea dog.
—René Guzman, San Antonio Express-News, 2 Oct. 2024
Orcs are conspicuous outliers in this regard, with actors’ skin hidden under thick layers of sickly makeup.
—Caitlin Penzeymoog, Vox, 7 Oct. 2024
The film will chronicle Amritraj’s remarkable journey from a sickly child in Chennai, India to his ascension as a tennis star and Hollywood figure.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 1 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sickly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sickly
Adjective
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The extraordinary shot of a frail, diseased young Don Vito on Ellis Island, looking out on the Statue of Liberty, sets the table for a decades-spanning journey through a country where opportunity is not extended, but seized through violence and dirty dealing.Scott Tobias, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2024
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At a time when post-menopausal women still are stereotyped as dependent and frail, Kim’s film is a refreshing reality check.Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 11 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Despite its reputation for being poisonous, popular poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) has only mild effects if nibbled, the ASPCA says.Erica Browne Grivas, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Nov. 2024
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The plot is this: To stop a witness from testifying against him, a gangster stows away poisonous snakes in the cargo hold of a plane on which the witness is traveling.Mark Oppenheimer, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Her reactions to that over the years — which include more abrupt exits from scenes and emotional confrontations with production than any other Housewife — have cast her as fragile, vulnerable, a broken bird.Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2024
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Developing tourism in a fragile environment is a tricky balancing act.Chris Morris, Fortune Europe, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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The heavy ad load had a toxic effect on the TV ecosystem.Jonathan Bing, Deadline, 22 Nov. 2024
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Eruptions on the Reykjanes peninsula in December 2023 triggered toxic gas warnings, causing emergency managers to fear that the pollution would spread to the capital.Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 21 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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The vaccine doesn’t prevent 100% of infections, but those who are vaccinated and still get sick typically have milder illness, according to the CDC.Rong-Gong Lin II, Los Angeles Times, 22 Nov. 2024
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The news of additional cases comes days after the Minnesota Department of Health confirmed 11 people got sick eating the contaminated meat between Oct. 31 and Nov. 7.Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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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
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According to the agency’s map, very unhealthy air levels were detected in the Chino Valley and San Bernardino areas, unhealthful levels in the eastern San Gabriel Valley as well as Pomona, Perris, Corona, Riverside areas and far northern Orange County.Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2024
Adjective
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Other checks on Trump’s policy will also be far weaker.Daniel W. Drezner, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2024
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Each endpoint can be assessed to sniff out weak points.PCMAG, PCMAG, 6 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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The world’s going to get warmer, more unhealthy and more dangerous in spite of burying our collective heads in the sand.Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
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The Ventura County Air Pollution Control District said Thursday that unhealthy air from smoke was expected in the Conejo Valley, Simi Valley and Moorpark.Dennis Romero, NBC News, 9 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Sickly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sickly. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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