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Sickly vs Feeble - What's the difference?

sickly | feeble |

As adjectives the difference between sickly and feeble

is that sickly is frequently ill; often in poor health; given to becoming ill while feeble is deficient in physical strength; weak; infirm; debilitated.

As verbs the difference between sickly and feeble

is that sickly is to make sickly while feeble is to make feeble; to enfeeble.

As an adverb sickly

is in a sick manner.

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.

    feeble

    English

    Adjective

    (er)
  • Deficient in physical strength; weak; infirm; debilitated.
    • Though she appeared old and feeble , she could still throw a ball.
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2011 , date=October 23 , author=Tom Fordyce , title=2011 Rugby World Cup final: New Zealand 8-7 France , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=France were transformed from the feeble , divided unit that had squeaked past Wales in the semi-final, their half-backs finding the corners with beautifully judged kicks from hand, the forwards making yards with every drive and a reorganised Kiwi line-out beginning to malfunction.}}
  • Lacking force, vigor, or efficiency in action or expression; faint.
    • That was a feeble excuse for an example.

    Synonyms

    * (physically weak) weak, infirm, debilitated * faint

    Derived terms

    * enfeeble * feebleness * feeble-minded * feebly

    Verb

    (feebl)
  • (obsolete) To make feeble; to enfeeble.

    • References

    * *