sickly
7 synonyms and 5 antonyms for sickly, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Adj — Frequently ill, or generally weak and unhealthy.
Synonyms
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Antonyms
How to use sickly
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
sickly child
sickly sweet
sickly pallor
Etymology
From Middle English sekely, built from "sick" plus "-ly".
Full origin of sickly →Frequently asked questions
What does “sickly” mean?
The word “sickly” means frequently ill, or generally weak and unhealthy. In plain terms, weak and prone to illness, or unpleasantly over-sweet or faint.
How do you pronounce “sickly”?
“Sickly” is pronounced SIHK-lee (/ˈsɪkli/ in IPA).
How do you use “sickly” in a sentence?
Here is “sickly” used in a sentence: “As a child he was sickly and missed a lot of school.”
What part of speech is “sickly”?
“Sickly” is an adjective.
Where does the word “sickly” come from?
The word “sickly” comes from Middle English. From Middle English sekely, built from "sick" plus "-ly".
How many meanings does “sickly” have?
“Sickly” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: frequently ill, or generally weak and unhealthy.
