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Morbid vs Sickly - What's the difference?

morbid | sickly | Synonyms |

Morbid is a synonym of sickly.


As adjectives the difference between morbid and sickly

is that morbid is (originally) of, or relating to disease while sickly is frequently ill; often in poor health; given to becoming ill.

As a verb sickly is

to make sickly.

As an adverb sickly is

in a sick manner.

morbid

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • (originally) Of, or relating to disease.
  • Taking an interest in unhealthy or unwholesome subjects such as death, decay, disease.
  • Suggesting the horror of death; macabre or ghoulish
  • Grisly or gruesome.

    • Derived terms

    * morbidity * morbidly * morbidness

    Related terms

    * morbidezza * morbilous

    Synonyms

    * (of or relating to disease) pathological * (unhealthy or unwholesome) sick, twisted, unhealthy, unwholesome, warped * (suggesting the horror of death) black, ghoulish, grim, macabre * bloody, disgusting, gory, grisly, gruesome, sickening

    sickly

    English

    Adjective

    (er)
  • Frequently ill; often in poor health; given to becoming ill.
    • a sickly child
  • Having the appearance of sickness or ill health; appearing ill, infirm or unhealthy; pale.
    • a sickly plant
  • * Dryden
    • The moon grows sickly at the sight of day.
  • Weak; faint; suggesting unhappiness.
    • a sickly smile
  • Somewhat sick; disposed to illness; attended with disease.
  • * Shakespeare
    • This physic but prolongs thy sickly days.
  • Tending to produce disease.
    • a sickly''' autumn; a '''sickly climate
    (Cowper)
  • Tending to produce nausea; sickening.
    • a sickly''' smell; '''sickly sentimentality

    Related terms

    * sickliness

    Verb

  • To make sickly.
  • * Shakespeare
    • Sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought.
  • * 1840 , S. M. Heaton, George Heaton, Thoughts on the Litany, by a naval officer's orphan daughter (page 58)
  • * 1871 , Gail Hamilton, Country living and country thinking (page 109)
    • He evidently thinks the sweet little innocents never heard or thought of such a thing before, and would go on burying their curly heads in books, and sicklying their rosy faces with "the pale cast of thought" till the end of time

    Adverb

    (en adverb)
  • In a sick manner.
  • * 2010 , Rowan Somerville, The End of Sleep (page 66)
    • The creaseless horizontal face of the giant smiled sickly , leering.