What does sicklier mean?
“Sicklier” is the comparative form of “sick” and, in some usages, of “sickly.” It means more sick, more unwell, or less healthy than someone or something else. The word is especially natural when describing a change over time: a patient may begin to feel sicklier, or a tree may appear increasingly sicklier as its condition deteriorates. It can also compare degrees of poor health without specifying a particular illness. Although “sicklier” sounds more expressive than the shorter “sicker,” both forms are standard in British and American English. The related word “sickly” can additionally mean characteristic of illness or nauseating, as in describing a taste or smell, whereas “sicklier” normally focuses on the comparative degree. The word is useful when a simple statement of illness is insufficient because the degree or progression of the condition matters.
adjectiveMore sick or less healthy than someone or something else; the comparative degree of “sick” or “sickly.”
- More sick, unwell, or affected by illness than someone or something else.
"After a restless night, she felt considerably sicklier than she had the day before."
"The patient became sicklier during the night, so the staff increased her fluid intake."
"After the storm, the old tree looked progressively sicklier as several branches lost their leaves."
When someone feels “sicklier,” they are not naming a new illness—they are simply reporting that their condition has worsened.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sicklier come from?
“Sicklier” is the comparative of “sick,” whose Old English ancestor was “sic,” meaning “ill” or “unwell.” The related Middle English derivative “sickly” carries senses connected with being characteristically ill or inducing nausea, and “sicklier” can also function as its comparative. English “sick” belongs to a Germanic family of words associated with illness, with related forms including “sickness” and “sicken.”
Related word forms
How sicklier is actually used
The word is standard in both formal and informal English. It normally expresses a worsening condition or a greater degree of illness, though it can also describe a person whose health appears generally poor.
Easily confused with sicklier
“Sicklier” is a comparative form, while “sickly” describes someone or something as being characteristically ill or tending to cause nausea.