Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

sicken

/ˈsɪkən/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.30 in modern English

Syllables: sick-en
IPA: /ˈsɪkən/

12

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

Transitive verb

verb

Intransitive verb

verb

To fill with disgust or abhorrence.

Transitive verb

verb

To lower the standing of.

verb

To be filled with disgust or abhorrence.

Intransitive verb

verb

To become disgusting or tedious.

Intransitive verb

verb

To become weak; to decay; to languish.

Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

"The infection will sicken him until amputation is needed."
"Donald Trump’s former top food safety official has accused the administration of a near “catastrophic” mismanagement of the cyclospora outbreak that has sickened thousands of people in the US."
"I will sicken if I don’t get some more exercise."
"The judges that sat upon the jail, and numbers of those that attended,[…] sickened upon it and died."
"His arrogant behaviour sickens me."
"In announcing the review, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the new health secretary, said in a statement that “antisemitism — like racism — is a spiritual and moral malady that sickens societies and kills people with lethalities comparable to history’s most deadly plagues.”"

Etymology

From Middle English sekenen, equivalent to sick + -en. Cognate with Danish sygne (“to pine”), Swedish sjukna (“to fall ill; become sick”), Norwegian sykne, Icelandic sjúkna (“to sicken; become sick”).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: sekenen

Usage

Inflected Forms

sickens (present, singular) sickening (participle, present) sickened (participle, past) sickened (past)

Derived Forms

sickened sickener sickening unsicken

Synonyms

come down disgust revolt nauseate churn up turn one's stomach

Rhymes With

chicken stricken quicken thicken wiccan dicken picken picon ficken hicken licon bricken

Questions

How do you pronounce sicken?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈsɪkən/.
What does sicken mean?: To make ill.
Where does sicken come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce sicken

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “sicken”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈsɪkən/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “sicken”.
Repeat and practice — Say “sicken” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.