SICKLY: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for SICKLY?

Need another word that means the same as “sickly”? Find 35 synonyms for “sickly” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Sickly” are: ailing, indisposed, peaked, poorly, seedy, under the weather, unwell, sallow, unhealthy, in poor health, chronically ill, pale, wan, pasty, colourless, pallid, white, waxen, ashen, bilious, nauseating, distasteful, unattractive, sentimental, overemotional, mawkish, cloying, sugary, syrupy, saccharine, sickening, maudlin, lachrymose, banal, trite

Sickly as an Adjective

Definitions of "Sickly" as an adjective

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “sickly” as an adjective can have the following definitions:

• Excessively sentimental or mawkish.
• (of a place or climate) causing or characterized by unhealthiness.
• Somewhat ill or prone to illness.
• Unhealthy looking.
• Often ill; in poor health.
• (of a flavour, smell, colour, etc.) unpleasant in a way that induces discomfort or nausea.
• (of a person's complexion or expression) indicative of poor health.

Synonyms of "Sickly" as an adjective (35 Words)

ailing	Somewhat ill or prone to illness. I went to see my ailing mother.
ashen	(of a person’s face) very pale with shock, fear, or illness. A face turned ashen.
banal	Repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse. Songs with banal repeated words.
bilious	Suffering from or suggesting a liver disorder or gastric distress. A bilious attack.
chronically ill	Being long-lasting and recurrent or characterized by long suffering.
cloying	Overly sweet. A romantic rather cloying story.
colourless	Dull or pale in hue. A colourless liquid.
distasteful	Highly offensive; arousing aversion or disgust. Distasteful language.
in poor health	Currently fashionable.
indisposed	Strongly opposed. Feeling a bit indisposed today.
lachrymose	Showing sorrow. She was pink eyed and lachrymose.
maudlin	Self-pityingly or tearfully sentimental. A bout of maudlin self pity.
mawkish	Sentimental in an exaggerated or false way. The mawkish smell of warm beer.
nauseating	Causing or liable to cause a feeling of nausea or disgust; disgusting. The stench was nauseating.
overemotional	Having feelings that are too easily excited and displayed. We re not an overemotional family.
pale	Abnormally deficient in color as suggesting physical or emotional distress. The late afternoon light coming through the el tracks fell in pale oblongs on the street.
pallid	(of light) lacking in intensity or brightness; dim or feeble. The pallid face of the invalid.
pasty	Having the sticky properties of an adhesive. He looked pasty and red eyed.
peaked	Having or rising to a peak. You look a little peaked.
poorly	Somewhat ill or prone to illness. She looked poorly.
saccharine	Excessively sweet or sentimental. Saccharine music.
sallow	Unhealthy looking. His skin was sallow and pitted.
seedy	Shabby and squalid. She felt weak and seedy.
sentimental	Given to or marked by sentiment or sentimentality. She felt a sentimental attachment to the place creep over her.
sickening	Causing great annoyance or disappointment. A sickening stench.
sugary	Resembling or coated in sugar. Energy restoring sugary drinks.
syrupy	With honey added. A particularly syrupy moment from a corny film.
trite	(of a remark or idea) lacking originality or freshness; dull on account of overuse. The trite metaphor hard as nails.
unattractive	Not appealing to the senses. As unattractive as most mining regions.
under the weather	Lower in rank, power, or authority.
unhealthy	Not in or exhibiting good health in body or mind. An unhealthy obsession with fast cars.
unwell	Somewhat ill or prone to illness. Is unwell and can t come to work.
wan	(of the sea) without lustre; dark and gloomy. He gave a wan smile.
waxen	Made of or covered with wax. A canopy of waxen creamy blooms.
white	Restricted to whites only. Under segregation there were even white restrooms and white drinking fountains.

Usage Examples of "Sickly" as an adjective

• A sickly child.
• A sickly vaporous swamp.
• A sickly fable of delicate young lovers.
• His usual sickly pallor.
• She was a thin, sickly child.
• The walls were painted a sickly green.
• She liked her coffee sweet and sickly.