Sickliness

Full definition of sickliness

Noun

1. The state or characteristic of weakness, incapacity, or physical distress due to poor health, especially of a chronic nature.
• circa 1595 William Shakespeare, Richard II, act 2, sc. 1:I do beseech your majesty, impute his wordsTo wayward sickliness and age in him.
• 1843, Charles Dickens, Martin Chuzzlewit, ch. 9:Gradually it gave place to a smile; a feeble, helpless, melancholy smile; bland, almost to sickliness.
• 1847, Anne Brontë, Agnes Grey, ch. 7:My devotions were disturbed with a feeling of languor and sickliness, and the tormenting fear of its becoming worse: and a depressing headache was generally my companion throughout the day.

Synonyms

• unwellness

Related terms

• sick
• sickly
• sickness