sickly
Other forms: sicklier; sickliest; sicklily
If you're frequently ill, or often under the weather, you're sickly. A sickly child tends to miss a lot of school.
Sickly people aren't in perfect health — they are prone to coming down with illnesses, or they just generally don't feel well. You can also describe someone as appearing sickly, if their faces are pale and unhealthy-looking. This "habitually ailing" meaning dates from the fourteenth century, and for a brief time it was also used to mean "causing illness."
Definitions of sickly
-
somewhat ill or prone to illness“a sickly child”
-
synonyms:
ailing, indisposed, peaked, poorly, seedy, under the weather, unwell
-
unhealthy looking
Cite this entry
Style:
MLA
- MLA
- APA
- Chicago
Copy citation
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘sickly'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
Send us feedback
Word Family
EDITOR'S CHOICE
Look up sickly for the last time
Close your vocabulary gaps with personalized learning that focuses on teaching the words you need to know.
