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Synonyms

sickening

American  
[sik-uh-ning] / ˈsɪk ə nɪŋ /

adjective

  1. causing or capable of causing sickness, especially nausea, disgust, or loathing.

    sickening arrogance.
    Synonyms:
    loathsome, disgusting, nauseating
sickening British  
/ ˈsɪkənɪŋ /

adjective

  1. causing sickness or revulsion

  2. informal extremely annoying

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • sickeningly adverb

Etymology

Origin of sickening

First recorded in 1715–25; sicken + -ing 2

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.

In fact, such a thing had been in the works since the 1950s, but instead of hurrying to get them assembly-line ready as L.A. was sickening with smog, Detroit just made bigger, filthier cars.

From Los Angeles Times

Leaders from across the political spectrum have since called for an immediate investigation, calling the allegations "harrowing" and "sickening".

From BBC

The sickening white of its twisting belly flashed in the firelight.

From Literature

Torak had just done so, and caught a sickening glimpse .of the void below.

From Literature

With a sickening crunch I landed on the ledge.

From Literature

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.