sickened

Sickened is the past participle of the verb sicken and can function as an adjective or as a verb form indicating illness or revulsion. As an adjective, it describes someone who is affected by illness or who feels nausea, as in "she felt sickened after the ride." It can also express moral or emotional repulsion, as in "the public was sickened by the testimony."

As a verb, to sicken means to cause to become ill or to become ill oneself. Examples include "the food sickened several diners" and "he was sickened by the news." In passive voice, phrases like "he was sickened by what he saw" are common in journalism and literature to convey immediate impact.

Etymology traces sickened to the Old English root sēoc, meaning ill, with the derivational suffix -en used to form verbs indicating a resulting state. The sense of physical nausea is central to both its literal and figurative uses.

Usage notes: sickened is typically used for acute episodes rather than chronic conditions. In medical writing, more precise terms such as nauseated, nauseous, or ill may be preferred for clarity. In formal or journalistic prose, sickened often conveys a strong emotional or moral reaction in addition to or instead of physical illness, as in discussions of violence, corruption, or shocking events.

See also: sick, illness, nausea, nauseate, nauseous, sicken.