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sick

adj. · n. · v.
US //ˈsɪk// UK //sˈɪk// sick
  1. 1 nauseated (adj.)
    A2 Elementary

    feeling like you are going to vomit.

    feeling nauseous or experiencing the urge to vomit.

    Example

    The bumpy car ride made the children feel quite sick.

    Example

    He felt increasingly sick as the small ferry tossed violently in the heavy swells of the channel.

    Usage

    Often used with 'feel' or 'get'.
  2. 2 tired of something (adj.)
    B1 Intermediate Informal

    very annoyed or bored with something that keeps happening.

    thoroughly weary of or annoyed by something due to repetition or duration.

    Example

    I am sick of eating the same sandwich every single day.

    Example

    The residents grew sick of the constant construction noise that disrupted their sleep for six consecutive months.

    Usage

    Almost always followed by the preposition 'of'.
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  1. 3 cruel or in bad taste (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

    describing a joke or behavior that is cruel or offensive.

    disturbing, cruel, or morbid in a way that offends standard social sensibilities.

    Example

    That was a sick joke to tell at a funeral.

    Example

    The film was criticized for its sick sense of humor, which many viewers found unnecessarily graphic and insensitive.
  2. 4 excellent (adj.)
    C1 Advanced Slang

    very good, cool, or impressive.

    exceptionally good, impressive, or aesthetically pleasing.

    Example

    Did you see his new car? It looks absolutely sick.

    Example

    The lead guitarist performed a sick solo that left the entire audience in stunned silence.

    Teacher's tip

    This is a 'contronym' where a negative word is used positively. It is very common in youth culture and extreme sports contexts.
  3. 5 vomit (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate British English Informal

    the food or liquid that comes out of your mouth when you are ill.

    matter vomited from the stomach.

    Example

    There was some sick on the rug after the dog got into the trash.

    Example

    The janitor was called to clean up the sick in the hallway after the flu outbreak hit the primary school.

    Usage

    Uncountable noun.
  4. 6 government benefits (n.)
    C1 Advanced British English Informal

    money paid by the government to people who are too ill to work.

    social security payments or leave entitlement provided to those incapacitated by illness.

    Example

    He has been on the sick for six months following his back injury.

    Example

    The local council reported a significant increase in the number of residents currently on the long-term sick.

    Usage

    Usually appears in the phrase 'on the sick'.
  5. 7 to vomit (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate British English Informal

    to be sick; to bring up food from your stomach.

    to eject the contents of the stomach through the mouth.

    Example

    The baby sicked up a little bit of milk on my shoulder.

    Example

    He felt so dizzy that he feared he might sick up his dinner right there on the pavement.

    Usage

    Often used as 'sick up'.
Etymology 1

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, “I am 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.

Etymology 2

Variant of sic, itself an alteration of seek.

Word family
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