1
: somewhat unwell
also
: habitually ailing
2
: produced by or associated with sickness
a sickly complexion
a sickly appetite
3
: producing or tending to produce disease : unwholesome
a sickly climate
4
a
: appearing as if sick
b
: lacking in vigor : weak
a sickly plant
5
: sickening
a sickly odor
sickliness
noun
sicklier; sickliest
: in a manner indicating, causing, or suggestive of sickness
Walking blindly, every step making him sick with pain, he … covered his face as much as he could, and struggled sickly along.—
D. H. Lawrence
D. H. LawrenceHis face turned a sickly shade of yellow.—Rick Riordan
—sometimes used figurativelyRick RiordanNick was the perfect boy for me. We were that sickly-sweet couple who never fought.—Sara Harari
Sara HarariExamples of sickly in a Sentence
Adjective
The walls were painted a sickly yellow.
The lamp gave off a sickly glow.
Recent Examples on the Web
Aishwarya S. Iyer, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025
Only Abi, the young nanny, can make the sickly girl smile.
—Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 15 Oct. 2025
Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 27 Oct. 2025
Rounding out the mourning quartet is their sister Anne (Emily Fairn), physically sickly, emotionally brittle and unequivocally devout.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
Kolbie Peterson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 31 Jan. 2022
There is something unsavory, even sickly about the artist, something not entirely on the side of life.
—New York Times, 17 Sep. 2021
See All Example Sentences for sickly
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Adjective
Her parents could have believed their sickly child had died and buried her according to local customs.
—Aishwarya S. Iyer, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025
Only Abi, the young nanny, can make the sickly girl smile.
—Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 15 Oct. 2025
Adverb
If your once-vigorous plant is starting to look sickly, spider mites may be the culprits.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 27 Oct. 2025
Rounding out the mourning quartet is their sister Anne (Emily Fairn), physically sickly, emotionally brittle and unequivocally devout.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
Verb
And Jessie is stubbornly clinging to the only remedy that seems to help sickly Thomas at all: blood.
—Kolbie Peterson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 31 Jan. 2022
There is something unsavory, even sickly about the artist, something not entirely on the side of life.
—New York Times, 17 Sep. 2021
See All Example Sentences for sickly
Cite this Entry
“Sickly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sickly. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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