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sickly - 6 dictionary results

sick⋅ly

  [sik-lee] adjective, -li⋅er, -li⋅est, adverb, verb, -lied, -ly⋅ing.
Use sickly in a Sentence
–adjective
1. not strong; unhealthy; ailing.
2. of, connected with, or arising from ill health: a sickly complexion.
3. marked by the prevalence of ill health, as a region: the epidemic left the town sickly.
4. causing sickness.
5. nauseating.
6. maudlin and insipid; mawkish: sickly sentimentality.
7. faint or feeble, as light or color.
–adverb
8. in a sick or sickly manner.
–verb (used with object)
9. to cover with a sickly hue.
Origin:
1300–50; ME siklich, sekly (adj.). See sick 1 , -ly

Related forms:
sick⋅li⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. frail, weak, puny, sick, feeble, infirm.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To sickly
sick·ly   (sĭk'lē)   
adj.   sick·li·er, sick·li·est
  1. Prone to sickness.
  2. Of, caused by, or associated with sickness: a sickly pallor.
  3. Conducive to sickness: a sickly climate.
  4. Causing nausea; nauseating.
  5. Lacking vigor or strength; feeble or weak: a sickly handshake.
tr.v.   sick·lied, sick·ly·ing, sick·lies
To make sickly: "Timidity . . . sicklies the whole cast of thought in action" (Henry Adams).
sick'li·ness n., sick'ly, sick'li·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Sickly

Sick"ly\, a. [Compar. Sicklier; superl. Sickliest.]

1. Somewhat sick; disposed to illness; attended with disease; as, a sickly body.

This physic but prolongs thy sickly days. --Shak.

2. Producing, or tending to, disease; as, a sickly autumn; a sickly climate. --Cowper.

3. Appearing as if sick; weak; languid; pale.

The moon grows sickly at the sight of day. --Dryden.

Nor torrid summer's sickly smile. --Keble.

4. Tending to produce nausea; sickening; as, a sickly smell; sickly sentimentality.

Syn: Diseased; ailing; infirm; weakly; unhealthy; healthless; weak; feeble; languid; faint.

Sickly

Sick"ly\, adv. In a sick manner or condition; ill.

My people sickly [with ill will] beareth our marriage. --Chaucer.

Sickly

Sick"ly\, v. t. To make sick or sickly; -- with over, and probably only in the past participle. [R.]

Sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought. --Shak.

Sentiments sicklied over . . . with that cloying heaviness into which unvaried sweetness is too apt to subside. --Jeffrey.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : sickly
Spanish: enfermizo,
German: kränklich,
Japanese: 病気がちな
More Translations »

Main Entry: sick·ly
Pronunciation: 'sik-lE
Function: adjective
1 : somewhat unwell; also : habitually ailing sickly child>
2 : produced by or associated with sickness sickly complexion> sickly appetite>
3 : producing ortending to produce disease sickly climate>
4 : tending to produce nausea sickly odor>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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