Skip to the word

Added 9 October 2026

sickly

/ˈsɪkli/ adjective

In Latin: aegrotaticius, morbōsus Wiktionary

adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about sickly at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Frequently ill or in poor health; weakly.
a sickly child
Not in good health; (somewhat) sick.
Characterized by poor or unhealthy growth.

verb

To make (something) sickly.
To become sickly.

adverb

In a sick manner; in a way that reflects or causes sickness.
sickly pale; to cough sickly

Origin

From Middle English seekly, sekely, siklich, sekeliche, equivalent to sick + -ly. Possibly a modification of Old English sīcle (“sickly”) and/or derived from Old Norse sjúkligr (“sickly”). Cognate with Dutch ziekelijk, Middle High German siechlich, Danish sygelig, Swedish sjuklig, Icelandic sjúklegur. The verb is from the adjective.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word