English Explanatory Dictionary

sick

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. In poor health; ill.
  2. [with with] Afflicted by (a specific condition, usually medical).
  3. Having an urge to vomit.
  4. Mentally unstable, disturbed.
  5. In bad taste.
  6. [with of] Tired of or annoyed by (something that has lasted a long time or often recurs).
  7. Very good, excellent, awesome, badass.
  8. In poor condition.
  9. Failing to sustain adequate harvests of crop, usually specified.
noun
  1. Vomit.
  2. (especially in the phrases on the sick and on long-term sick) Any of various current or former benefits or allowances paid by the Government to support the sick, disabled or incapacitated.
verb
  1. To vomit.
  2. To fall sick; to sicken.
verb
  1. Alternative spelling of sic (“set upon”).
name
  1. A surname from German.

Pronunciation

sĭk /ˈsɪk/ en-uk-sick.ogg en-us-sick.ogg

Word forms

sick sicker sickest sicks sicking sicked

Etymology

From Middle English sik, sike, seek, seke, seok, from Old English sēoc (“sick, ill”), from Proto-West Germanic *seuk, from Proto-Germanic *seukaz, from Proto-Indo-European *sewg- (“to be troubled or grieved”). See also West Frisian siik, Dutch ziek, German siech, Norwegian Bokmål syk, Norwegian Nynorsk sjuk, Danish syg; also Middle Irish socht (“silence, depression”), Old Armenian հիւծանիմ (hiwcanim, “to be weakening”). The "very good, excellent" sense is an ameliorative semantic shift from the original sense of "in poor health". Compare similar semantic development in terrific and wicked.

Synonyms

ill not well poorly sickly unwell diseased disease-ridden infect infected morbid morbific morbose unhealthy nauseated barfy mawkish nauseatic pukey pukish queasy sick sick to one's stomach vomity disturbed twisted warped rad wicked ace admirable amazing awe-inspiring awesome badass bang on bang-up studly based beatific beneship bitching blissful bomb brilliant bully celestial cher choice chronic chur cock on commendable cool copacetic crackerjack cushty dank def delightful divine

Antonyms

fit healthy well crap naff uncool

Derived words

airsick altitude-sick be sick be taken sick black-sick brainsick bussick call in sick call out sick carsick cropsick dogsick dope sick euthyroid sick syndrome fall sick fancy-sick get sick greensick guilt-sick heartsick heatsick homesick I'm sick iron-sick iron sick ironsick junk sick junk-sick landsick lovesick lungsick lung sick milt-sick moonsick nail sick nailsick never sick at sea out sick oversick permasick pig-sick planesick pornsick saddle-sick schoolsick seasick sicc sick-abed sick and tired sick and twisted sick as a cat sick as a dog sick as a horse sick as a parrot sick-ass sick ass sick at heart sick bag sickbag sickbay

Translations

Bulgarian: бо́лен Danish: syg Danish: syge Dutch: zieke Dutch: zieken Esperanto: malsanulo Finnish: sairaat French: les malades Galician: doentes Galician: enfermos Hindi: अस्वस्थ Italian: gli ammalati Central Kurdish: نەخۆش Latin: aegri Latvian: sirdzējs Malay: pesakit Norwegian: syke Portuguese: doentes Portuguese: enfermos Swedish: sjuka Ukrainian: хво́рий
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