Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Feeling nausea; feeling about to vomit: The primary meaning describes a state of mild to moderate nausea, the unpleasant sensation that one might vomit.

Usage

• The adjective "sickish" is used to describe a physical feeling. It is less severe than "sick" or "nauseous" and often implies the onset of such a feeling.
• It typically follows linking verbs like , , or .
• Example: "The rocking of the boat made me feel sickish."

Examples

• After eating the rich, greasy food, she started to feel sickish.
• The strange smell in the room was making him sickish.
• I felt a bit sickish this morning, but I'm fine now.

Advanced Usage

• Descriptive Use: Can be used descriptively to characterize something that induces a nauseous feeling.
  • The sickish sweet smell of the perfume was overwhelming.
• Comparative and Superlative Forms: "sickisher," "sickishest" (though these are rare; "more sickish" and "most sickish" are more common).
  • The motion on the smaller boat was even more sickish.

Variants and Related Words

• Sick (adj.): A broader term meaning unwell; can include nausea but also other illnesses.
• Nauseous (adj.): Causing or experiencing nausea; often used interchangeably with "nauseated" in common usage.
• Nauseated (adj.): Affected with nausea. (Note: In precise usage, "nauseous" means nausea, and "nauseated" means nausea.)
• Queasy (adj.): Feeling nausea; uneasy. Very similar in meaning to "sickish."

Synonyms

• Nauseated: Affected with nausea.
• Queasy: Experiencing nausea.
• Pukey (informal): Inclined to vomit.

Antonyms

• Well: In good health.
• Fine: Satisfactory; in good health.
• Healthy: In a state of good health.

Notes on Meaning

• "Sickish" specifically denotes the sensation of impending vomiting. It does not generally refer to other types of sickness (e.g., having a cold or fever).
• It is often associated with causes like motion, unpleasant sights or smells, or indigestion.

Adjective

1. feeling nausea; feeling about to vomit