sickly

  • 1Sickly — Sick ly, a. [Compar. {Sicklier}; superl. {Sickliest}.] 1. Somewhat sick; disposed to illness; attended with disease; as, a sickly body. [1913 Webster] This physic but prolongs thy sickly days. Shak. [1913 Webster] 2. Producing, or tending to,… …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 2sickly — [sik′lə lēsik′lē] adj. sicklier, sickliest [ME sekly] 1. in poor health; chronically sick or prone to sickness; not strong or robust 2. of or produced by sickness [a sickly pallor] 3. characterized by the prevalence of disease or sickness;… …

    English World dictionary

  • 3Sickly — Sick ly, adv. In a sick manner or condition; ill. [1913 Webster] My people sickly [with ill will] beareth our marriage. Chaucer. [1913 Webster] …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 4Sickly — Sick ly, v. t. To make sick or sickly; with over, and probably only in the past participle. [R.] [1913 Webster] Sicklied o er with the pale cast of thought. Shak. [1913 Webster] Sentiments sicklied over . . . with that cloying heaviness into… …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 5sickly — [adj1] not healthy ailing, below par, bilious, cranky, delicate, diseased, down, dragging, faint, feeble, indisposed, infirm, in poor health, lackluster, laid low, languid, low, mean, off color*, out of action*, out of shape*, pallid, peaked,… …

    New thesaurus

  • 6sickly — index languid, powerless, unsound (not strong) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …

    Law dictionary

  • 7sickly — mid 14c., from SICK (Cf. sick) + LY (Cf. ly) (1). Related: Sickliness …

    Etymology dictionary

  • 8sickly — *unwholesome, morbid, diseased, pathological Analogous words: ailing (see corresponding noun at DISEASE): *weak, feeble, frail, infirm: mawkish, mushy, maudlin (see SENTIMENTAL) Antonyms: robust Contrasted words: *healthy, sound, wholesome, hale …

    New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • 9sickly — is an adjective meaning ‘weak in health’, and is not used as an adverb …

    Modern English usage

  • 10sickly — ► ADJECTIVE (sicklier, sickliest) 1) often ill; in poor health. 2) causing, characterized by, or indicative of poor health. 3) (of flavour, colour, etc.) so garish or sweet as to induce nausea. 4) excessively sentimental or mawkish. DERIVATIVES …

    English terms dictionary