sickener: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
LowInformal, Spoken
Quick answer
What does “sickener” mean?
Something that makes you feel sick, disgusted, or extremely disappointed.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
Something that makes you feel sick, disgusted, or extremely disappointed.
A disappointing or frustrating defeat in sports; a nauseating experience; an event or object that induces disgust or revulsion; (in hunting slang) a poisonous mushroom.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Far more common and established in British English. In American English, it is rare and may not be readily understood.
Connotations
UK: Strongly associated with sports commentary (a 'real sickener' of a defeat) and general expressions of disgust. US: If used, leans more towards the literal 'nauseating' meaning.
Frequency
UK: Low-to-medium frequency in informal contexts, especially sports/media. US: Very rare, potentially perceived as a Britishism.
Grammar
How to Use “sickener” in a Sentence
[be] a sickener[prove] a sickener[experience/endure] a sickenerVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “sickener” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- N/A - 'sicken' is the verb form.
American English
- N/A - 'sicken' is the verb form.
adverb
British English
- N/A
American English
- N/A
adjective
British English
- N/A - 'sickening' is the adjective form.
American English
- N/A - 'sickening' is the adjective form.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare. Might be used informally after a major lost deal: 'Losing that contract was a real sickener.'
Academic
Virtually never used.
Everyday
Used in UK to express strong disappointment: 'Missing the last bus was a proper sickener.'
Technical
Not used. Mycologists may use 'sickener' as a common name for certain poisonous mushrooms (e.g., Russula emetica).
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “sickener”
Strong
Neutral
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “sickener”
- Using it to mean 'a person who is sick' (incorrect).
- Using it in formal writing.
- Overusing it in American English contexts where it sounds unnatural.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is not used for a person. It refers to an event, situation, or thing that causes disgust or disappointment.
No, it is very rare. Americans are more likely to say 'heartbreaker', 'gut punch', or simply 'a huge disappointment'.
It is a countable noun (e.g., 'a sickener', 'two real sickeners').
'Sickener' is a noun naming the cause. 'Sickening' is an adjective describing the effect (e.g., 'a sickening defeat' vs. 'the defeat was a sickener').
Something that makes you feel sick, disgusted, or extremely disappointed.
Sickener is usually informal, spoken in register.
Sickener: in British English it is pronounced /ˈsɪkənə(r)/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈsɪkənər/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “a real sickener”
- “that's a sickener!”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a food that makes you SICK. That food is a SICKEN-ER (something that sickens you). A bad loss 'sickens' the fans.
Conceptual Metaphor
DISAPPOINTMENT/FAILURE IS NAUSEA (It turns your stomach).
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'sickener' most naturally used in British English?