- present participle of sicken.
sickening
Americanadjective
adjective
-
causing sickness or revulsion
-
informal extremely annoying
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sickening
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The cyclospora outbreak has become the nation’s largest of its kind, sickening thousands of people.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
Despite the uptick, officials say California is not included in the cyclosporiasis outbreak that’s hit 15 states, sickening tens of thousands of people with prolonged bouts of diarrhea.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
And I would be living within walking distance of a sickening number of farmers markets.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
"It was sickening how into it they were," he said.
From BBC ● May 27, 2026
With Eilonwy beside him, he continued gingerly, setting each foot carefully, remembering the sudden, sickening fall that had brought him there in the first place.
From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander
![]()
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.