Is 'sick' or 'ill' more polite?

In formal contexts, 'ill' is often preferred. 'Sick' is perfectly acceptable in everyday conversation, though in UK English it can specifically imply nausea.

Can 'sick' have a positive meaning?

Yes, in informal slang (especially among younger speakers), 'sick' can mean 'excellent' or 'impressive', e.g., 'That skateboard trick was sick!'

What's the difference between 'sick from' and 'sick of'?

'Sick from' indicates a physical cause (e.g., sick from food poisoning). 'Sick of' indicates emotional frustration or boredom (e.g., sick of waiting).

Is 'sick' used as a verb?

Yes, but it's less common. 'To sick (up)' means to vomit (chiefly UK). 'To sick on' (US) means to set an animal or person to attack someone.

sick

Very High

UK/sɪk/US/sɪk/

Informal to Neutral. Formal equivalents for 'ill' are used in medical contexts.

My Flashcards

Definition

Meaning

Suffering from a physical or mental illness.

Experiencing nausea or vomiting; deeply affected by unpleasant emotions (e.g., disgust, worry); very good/excellent (slang); macabre or cruel (e.g., humour).

Linguistics

Semantic Notes

The meaning often depends on article use: 'be sick' usually means 'vomit'; 'be/feel sick' can mean 'nauseous' or 'ill'; 'a sick person' means 'an ill person'.

Dialectal Variation

British vs American Usage

Differences

In UK, 'sick' often means 'nauseous/vomit'. 'Ill' is more common for general illness. In US, 'sick' is the primary term for all illness; 'ill' is more formal.

Connotations

UK: 'Off sick' (from work) is standard; 'sick' as slang for 'excellent' is common. US: 'Sick' can more strongly imply nausea.

Frequency

In US, 'sick' is more frequent than 'ill' in everyday speech. In UK, 'ill' and 'sick' are both frequent, with semantic nuance.

Vocabulary

Collocations

strong

feel sickcall in sicksick leavesick notesick of

medium

get sickmake sicksick feelingsick childsick joke

weak

sick daysick personlook sicksick roomsick mind

Grammar

Valency Patterns

to be sick (with)to feel sick (from)to get sick (of)to make somebody sickto be sick and tired of

Vocabulary

Synonyms

Strong

nauseousqueasyvomit

Neutral

illunwellpoorly

Weak

under the weatherindisposedailing

Vocabulary

Antonyms

healthywellfinerobust

Phrases

Idioms & Phrases

“sick as a parrot”
“sick to death of”
“worry yourself sick”
“sick at heart”
“sick pay”

Usage

Context Usage

Business

'He's on sick leave until next Monday.'

Academic

'The study examined sick building syndrome.'

Everyday

'I feel sick after that huge meal.'

Technical

'The patient presented with sick sinus syndrome.'

Examples

By Part of Speech

verb

British English

The dog sicked up its food on the carpet.
He sicked the reporters on his rival.

American English

The dog sicked up its dinner.
They sicked the lawyers on us.

adverb

British English

(Rare/Non-standard) He plays sick.

American English

(Slang) That trick was sick!

adjective

British English

She's been off sick all week.
That's a really sick joke.

American English

He stayed home because he was sick.
Did you see his sick new car?

Examples

By CEFR Level

I feel sick. I need some water.
My brother is sick today.
She didn't go to school because she was sick.

The smell of the petrol made me feel sick.
He called in sick to work on Monday.
I'm getting sick of this rainy weather.

She was sick with worry before her exam results arrived.
He has a rather sick sense of humour, which not everyone appreciates.
After years of the same routine, I'm heartily sick of it.

The scandal left the public feeling sickened by the political class.
He's been signed off on long-term sick leave due to stress.
The film's sickeningly violent scenes were criticised by reviewers.

Learning

Memory Aids

Mnemonic

Think of a SICKle (tool) that makes you feel nauseous if you're hit by it.

Conceptual Metaphor

DISGUST/ILLNESS IS A PHYSICAL FORCE ('It made me sick'). BOREDOM/ANGER IS ILLNESS ('I'm sick of this').

Watch out

Common Pitfalls

Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)

Не переводите 'I was sick' всегда как 'Я болел'. Это может значить 'Меня вырвало'.
'Sick of' = надоело, достало, а не 'болен чем-то'.
'Sick humour' = чёрный юмор, а не 'больной юмор'.

Common Mistakes

Using 'sick' in formal medical writing (use 'ill' or specific condition).
Saying 'I am sick with flu' (UK: more common 'I have flu' or 'I'm ill with flu').
Confusing 'sick from' (cause) and 'sick of' (bored/angry).

Practice

Quiz

Fill in the gap

After the turbulent boat ride, several passengers felt and needed to lie down.

Multiple Choice

In British English, what does the phrase 'I was sick' most likely mean?

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

: In formal contexts, 'ill' is often preferred. 'Sick' is perfectly acceptable in everyday conversation, though in UK English it can specifically imply nausea.
: Yes, in informal slang (especially among younger speakers), 'sick' can mean 'excellent' or 'impressive', e.g., 'That skateboard trick was sick!'
: 'Sick from' indicates a physical cause (e.g., sick from food poisoning). 'Sick of' indicates emotional frustration or boredom (e.g., sick of waiting).
: Yes, but it's less common. 'To sick (up)' means to vomit (chiefly UK). 'To sick on' (US) means to set an animal or person to attack someone.

Collections

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Body and Health

A1 · 49 words · Parts of the body and basic health vocabulary.

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Health and Body

A2 · 48 words · Talking about health, illness and medical care.

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