sicker

¹

[sik-er]

adjective

1. comparative of sick.

sicker

²

Or sik·er

[sik-er]

adjective

1. safe from danger; secure.

2. dependable; trustworthy.

adverb

1. certainly; without doubt.

Word History and Origins

Origin of sicker¹

before 900; Middle English siker, Old English sicor; cognate with Dutch zeker, German sicher, all ≪ Latin sēcūrus; secure

Example Sentences

Insurers have responded by implementing substantial premium increases for 2026 in an effort to restore viability, but the business remains far from attractive to investors because the enrollee pool is becoming sicker and smaller.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Patients that do enroll in the plans will likely be sicker on average, raising medical costs for the companies.

Read more on Barron's

The result: An older, sicker risk pool on the ObamaCare exchanges, which would push up premiums and exacerbate the structural problems that prompted Democrats to sweeten the subsidies in the first place.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

That is because CMS pays higher rates for sicker patients, and insurers that coordinate their care more efficiently get to keep more of that money.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The fear was that hearing the news might make him sicker.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal