sick
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
sick¹
- /ˈsɪk/
Sounds like sic, Sikh · Rhymes with -ɪk
Where it comes from
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 and Swedish 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.
adjective sicker · sickest
-
In poor health; ill.
We have to care for the sick.
Similar: ill, not well, poorly, sickly, unwell, diseased, disease-ridden, infect, infected, morbid, morbific, morbose · Opposite: fit, healthy, well
-
[with with] Afflicted by (a specific condition, usually medical).
She was sick all day with the flu.
Similar: ill, not well, poorly, sickly, unwell, diseased, disease-ridden, infect, infected, morbid, morbific, morbose · Opposite: fit, healthy, well
-
Having an urge to vomit.
My daughter was violently sick three times in the night.
Similar: nauseated, barfy, mawkish, nauseatic, pukey, pukish, queasy, sick, sick to one's stomach, vomity
- Mentally unstable, disturbed. You sick bastard!
- In bad taste. That’s a sick joke.
- [with of] Tired of or annoyed by (something that has lasted a long time or often recurs). sick and tired of the whining—sick of waiting—'sick of politics
-
Very good, excellent, awesome, badass.
This tune is sick.
Similar: rad, wicked, ace, admirable, amazing, awe-inspiring, awesome, badass, broyal, bang on, bang-up, studly · Opposite: crap, naff, uncool
- In poor condition. sick building syndrome; my car is looking pretty sick; my job prospects are pretty sick
- Failing to sustain adequate harvests of crop, usually specified.
noun
-
Vomit.
[…] they're spitting and belching chunks of lentilly gunk. Looks like sick.
Similar: vomit
- (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 sicks · sicking · sicked
- To vomit. I woke up at 4 am and sicked on the floor.
- To fall sick; to sicken. Our great-grandsire, Edward, sick'd and died.
sick²
- /ˈsɪk/
Sounds like sic, Sikh · Rhymes with -ɪk
verb sicks · sicking · sicked
- Alternative spelling of sic (“set upon”). "Wapi," she almost screamed, "go back! Sick 'em, Wapi—sick 'em—sick 'em—sick 'em!"
Sick³
Where it comes from
* As a Dutch and German surname, shortened from names like Siegfried, Siegmund and similar. Compare Sieck, Zeek.
* As a Czech surname, Americanized from Šik; also Slovene, Carpathian Rusyn, and Serbo-Croatian Šic, converged from several origins such as síč (“sower”), the source of Schuetz, or Slavicized from Hungarian szűcs (“furrier”).
Compare Shick.
proper noun Sicks
- A surname from German.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: sickly, sickish, unwell, indisposed, ailing, infirm, be sick, faint, queasy, liverish, disgusted, nauseated, swooning, stricken, afflicted, seasick
Translations
Every language
adj ill, used as a substantive: sick people, collectively
| हिन्दी | अस्वस्थ asvasth |
|---|---|
| Português | doentes, enfermos |
| Français | les malades |
| Italiano | gli ammalati |
adj colloquial: mentally unstable, disturbed
| Français | malade |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | durch den Wind |
| Ελληνικά | άρρωστος árrostos |
| Русский | больно́й bolʹnój |
adj colloquial: in bad taste
| Deutsch | übel, krank |
|---|---|
| Ελληνικά | αρρωστημένος arrostiménos, νοσηρός nosirós |
adj tired (of), annoyed (by)
| Español | harto |
|---|---|
| Português | enjoado |
| Français | en avoir marre |
| Deutsch | leid, es satthaben |
| Italiano | stufo |
adj slang: very good, excellent
| Español | cagante |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | ヤバい yabai |
| 中文 | 牛屄 niúbī, 屌 diǎo, 絕了 /绝了 juéle, 過癮 /过瘾 guòyǐn |
| Português | animal, irado, louco |
| Français | de malade, lourd, chanmé |
| Deutsch | geisteskrank, krank, sick, fett, krass, geil |
| Română | mișto |
adj in poor condition
| Deutsch | übel |
|---|
Talk about this word "sick." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/sick. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. sick. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/sick "sick." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/sick.Cite this
@misc{sick_2026,
title = {sick},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/sick},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
