Sick vs. Well — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Published on September 15, 2023
Sick refers to being ill or not in good health, while Well signifies being in good health or satisfactory condition.
Difference Between Sick and Well
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Sick and Well are terms that primarily pertain to health conditions. When someone is Sick, it denotes that they're suffering from an illness or not feeling their best. On the contrary, Well describes someone who is healthy and free from ailments, indicating positive health.
Sick can also refer to feeling nauseated or having a strong aversion to something. For instance, one might say, "That roller coaster made me sick." Meanwhile, Well can be used to confirm understanding or agreement, as in, "You understand the consequences? Well, then proceed."
Sick sometimes extends beyond physical health and can touch on mental or emotional states. When someone says, "I'm sick of this situation," they express exasperation or frustration. Conversely, Well can be employed to express surprise or realization, such as, "Well, I never expected that!"
Sick in slang can take on an entirely different meaning, suggesting that something is exceptionally good or cool. For example, "That's a sick skateboard!" In contrast, Well can be a preamble to an explanation or introduction, "Well, as I was saying..."
Within literature or art, being Sick could symbolize vulnerability, a need for care, or the human condition's fragility. Well, in such contexts, can represent strength, resilience, or the state of being untouched by external adversities.
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Comparison Chart
Basic Health Definition
Indicates illness or not feeling good
Signifies good health or satisfactory condition
Extended Meaning
Can mean nauseated or having a strong aversion
Used to confirm understanding or agreement
Emotional State
Refers to mental or emotional exhaustion
Expresses surprise or realization
Slang Use
Sometimes means exceptionally good or cool
Can introduce an explanation
Symbolism
Represents vulnerability or fragility in art and literature
Symbolizes strength or resilience in art and literature
Compare with Definitions
Sick
Affected by physical or mental illness.
She's been sick for a week.
Well
To a considerable degree.
The essay was well written.
Sick
Feeling nauseated.
The motion of the boat made him sick.
Well
In a satisfactory manner.
The event went well.
Sick
Tired of; fed up with.
I'm sick of all these delays.
Well
Used to express surprise or agreement.
Well, that's unexpected!
Sick
Deeply distressed; upset.
He's sick with worry.
Well
A source of water from the ground.
She drew water from the well.
Sick
Extremely good or impressive (slang).
That jump was absolutely sick!
Well
A deep hole or shaft sunk into the earth to obtain water, oil, gas, or brine.
Sick
Affected by physical or mental illness
Visiting the sick and the elderly
Nursing very sick children
Half my staff were off sick
Well
A container or reservoir for a liquid, such as ink.
Sick
Feeling nauseous and wanting to vomit
Mark felt sick with fear
He was starting to feel sick
Well
A place where water issues from the earth; a spring or fountain.
Sick
Intensely annoyed with or bored by (someone or something) as a result of having had too much of them
I'm absolutely sick of your moods
Well
A mineral spring.
Sick
Excellent.
Well
Wells A watering place; a spa.
Sick
Vomit
She was busy wiping sick from the carpet
Well
An abundant source
A well of information.
Sick
Bring something up by vomiting
She sicked up all over the carpet
He was passing blood and sicking it up
Well
An open space extending vertically through the floors of a building, as for stairs or ventilation.
Sick
Set a dog on
The plan was to surprise the heck out of the grizzly by sicking the dog on him
Well
An enclosure in a ship's hold for the pumps.
Sick
Suffering from or affected with a physical illness; ailing.
Well
A compartment or recessed area in a ship, used for stowage
An anchor well.
Sick
Of or for sick persons
Sick wards.
Well
A part of a ship's weather deck enclosed between two watertight bulkheads.
Sick
Nauseated.
Well
A cistern with a perforated bottom in the hold of a fishing vessel for keeping fish alive.
Sick
Mentally ill or disturbed.
Well
An enclosed space for receiving and holding something, such as the wheels of an airplane when retracted.
Sick
Unwholesome, morbid, or sadistic
A sick joke.
A sick crime.
Well
Chiefly British The central space in a law court, directly in front of the judge's bench, where the counsel or solicitor sits.
Sick
Defective; unsound
A sick economy.
Well
To rise to the surface, ready to flow
Tears welled in my eyes.
Sick
Deeply distressed; upset
Sick with worry.
Well
To rise or surge from an inner source
Anger welled up in me.
Sick
Disgusted; revolted.
Well
To pour forth.
Sick
Weary; tired
Sick of it all.
Well
In a good or proper manner
Behaved well.
Sick
Pining; longing
Sick for his native land.
Well
Skillfully or proficiently
Dances well.
Sick
In need of repairs
A sick ship.
Well
Satisfactorily or sufficiently
Slept well.
Sick
Constituting an unhealthy environment for those working or residing within
A sick office building.
Well
Successfully or effectively
Gets along well with people.
Sick
Unable to produce a profitable yield of crops
Sick soil.
Well
In a comfortable or affluent manner
Lived well.
Sick
(Slang) Excellent; outstanding
Did a sick run down the halfpipe.
Well
In a manner affording benefit or gain; advantageously
Married well.
Sick
Sick people considered as a group. Often used with the.
Well
With reason or propriety; reasonably
Can't very well say no.
Sick
Chiefly British Vomit.
Well
In all likelihood; indeed
You may well need your umbrella.
Sick
Variant of sic2.
Well
In a prudent or sensible manner
You would do well to say nothing more.
Sick
In poor health; ill.
She was sick all day with the flu.
We have to care for the sick.
Well
In a close or familiar manner
Knew them well.
Sick
Having an urge to vomit.
Well
In a favorable or approving manner
Spoke well of them.
Sick
(colloquial) Mentally unstable, disturbed.
Well
Thoroughly; completely
Well cooked.
Cooked well.
Sick
(colloquial) In bad taste.
That's a sick joke.
Well
Perfectly; clearly
I well understand your intentions.
Sick
Tired of or annoyed by something.
I've heard that song on the radio so many times that I'm starting to get sick of it.
Well
To a suitable or appropriate degree
This product will answer your needs equally well.
Sick
In poor condition.
Sick building syndrome; my car is looking pretty sick; my job prospects are pretty sick
Well
To a considerable extent or degree
Well over the estimate.
Sick
(agriculture) Failing to sustain adequate harvests of crop, usually specified.
Well
With care or attention
Listened well.
Sick
Vomit.
He lay there in a pool of his own sick.
Well
Entirely; fully
Well worth seeing.
Sick
(especially in the phrases on the sick and on long-term sick) Any of various current or former benefits or allowances paid by the Government to support the sick, disabled or incapacitated.
Well
In a satisfactory condition; right or proper
All is well.
Sick
(colloquial) To vomit.
I woke up at 4 am and sicked on the floor.
Well
Not ailing, infirm, or diseased; healthy.
Sick
To fall sick; to sicken.
Well
Cured or healed, as a wound.
Sick
(rare) sic
Well
Of or characterized by the maintenance of good health practices. Often used in combination
A well-baby clinic.
A well-child visit to the doctor.
Sick
Affected with disease of any kind; ill; indisposed; not in health. See the Synonym under Illness.
Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever.
Behold them that are sick with famine.
Well
Advisable; prudent
It would be well not to ask.
Sick
Affected with, or attended by, nausea; inclined to vomit; as, sick at the stomach; a sick headache.
Well
Fortunate; good
It is well that you stayed.
Sick
Having a strong dislike; disgusted; surfeited; - with of; as, to be sick of flattery.
He was not so sick of his master as of his work.
Well
Used to introduce a remark, resume a narrative, or fill a pause during conversation.
Sick
Corrupted; imperfect; impaired; weakned.
So great is his antipathy against episcopacy, that, if a seraphim himself should be a bishop, he would either find or make some sick feathers in his wings.
Well
Used to express surprise.
Sick
Sickness.
Well
(manner) Accurately, competently, satisfactorily.
He does his job well.
Sick
To fall sick; to sicken.
Well
(manner) Completely, fully.
A well done steak
We’re well beat now.
Sick
People who are sick;
They devote their lives to caring for the sick
Well
(degree) To a significant degree.
That author is well known.
A monument well worth seeing
Sick
Eject the contents of the stomach through the mouth;
After drinking too much, the students vomited
He purged continuously
The patient regurgitated the food we gave him last night
Well
Very (as a general-purpose intensifier).
Sick
Not in good physical or mental health;
Ill from the monotony of his suffering
Well
In a desirable manner; so as one could wish; satisfactorily; favourably; advantageously.
Sick
Feeling nausea; feeling about to vomit
Well
In good health.
I had been sick, but now I'm well.
Sick
Affected with madness or insanity;
A man who had gone mad
Well
(hypercorrect) Good, content.
“How are you?” — “I'm well, thank you!”
Sick
Having a strong distaste from surfeit;
Grew more and more disgusted
Fed up with their complaints
Sick of it all
Gossip that makes one sick
Tired of the noise and smoke
Well
(uncommon) Prudent; good; well-advised.
Well
Good to eat; tasty, delicious.
Well
(Hiberno-English) Used as a greeting
Well lads. How's things?
Well
A hole sunk into the ground as a source of water, oil, natural gas or other fluids.
Well
A place where a liquid such as water surfaces naturally; a spring.
Well
A small depression suitable for holding liquid or other objects.
Make a well in the dough mixture and pour in the milk.
Well
(figurative) A source of supply.
Well
(nautical) A vertical, cylindrical trunk in a ship, reaching down to the lowest part of the hull, through which the bilge pumps operate.
Well
(nautical) The cockpit of a sailboat.
Well
(nautical) A compartment in the middle of the hold of a fishing vessel, made tight at the sides, but having holes perforated in the bottom to let in water to keep fish alive while they are transported to market.
Well
(nautical) A vertical passage in the stern into which an auxiliary screw propeller may be drawn up out of the water.
Well
(military) A hole or excavation in the earth, in mining, from which run branches or galleries.
Well
(architecture) An opening through the floors of a building, as for a staircase or an elevator; a wellhole.
Well
The open space between the bench and the counsel tables in a courtroom.
Well
(metalworking) The lower part of a furnace, into which the metal falls.
Well
A well drink.
They're having a special tonight: $1 wells.
Well
(video games) The playfield of Tetris and similar video games, into which the blocks fall.
Well
(biology) In a microtiter plate, each of the small equal circular or square sections which serve as test tubes.
Well
(intransitive) To issue forth, as water from the earth; to flow; to spring.
Well
(intransitive) To have something seep out of the surface.
Her eyes welled with tears.
Well
An issue of water from the earth; a spring; a fountain.
Begin, then, sisters of the sacred well.
Well
A pit or hole sunk into the earth to such a depth as to reach a supply of water, generally of a cylindrical form, and often walled with stone or bricks to prevent the earth from caving in.
The woman said unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep.
Well
A shaft made in the earth to obtain oil or brine.
Well
Fig.: A source of supply; fountain; wellspring.
Dan Chaucer, well of English undefiled.
A well of serious thought and pure.
Well
An inclosure in the middle of a vessel's hold, around the pumps, from the bottom to the lower deck, to preserve the pumps from damage and facilitate their inspection.
Well
A hole or excavation in the earth, in mining, from which run branches or galleries.
Well
An opening through the floors of a building, as for a staircase or an elevator; a wellhole.
Well
The lower part of a furnace, into which the metal falls.
Well
To issue forth, as water from the earth; to flow; to spring.
From his two springs in Gojam's sunny realm,Pure welling out, he through the lucid lakeOf fair Dambea rolls his infant streams.
Well
To pour forth, as from a well.
Well
In a good or proper manner; justly; rightly; not ill or wickedly.
If thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.
Well
Suitably to one's condition, to the occasion, or to a proposed end or use; suitably; abundantly; fully; adequately; thoroughly.
Lot . . . beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere.
WE are wellable to overcome it.
She looketh well to the ways of her household.
Servant of God, well done! well hast thou foughtThe better fight.
Well
Fully or about; - used with numbers.
Well nine and twenty in a company.
Well
In such manner as is desirable; so as one could wish; satisfactorily; favorably; advantageously; conveniently.
KnowIn measure what the mind may well contain.
All the world speaks well of you.
Well
Considerably; not a little; far.
Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age.
Well
Good in condition or circumstances; desirable, either in a natural or moral sense; fortunate; convenient; advantageous; happy; as, it is well for the country that the crops did not fail; it is well that the mistake was discovered.
It was well with us in Egypt.
Well
Being in health; sound in body; not ailing, diseased, or sick; healthy; as, a well man; the patient is perfectly well.
Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spake?
Well
Being in favor; favored; fortunate.
He followed the fortunes of that family, and was well with Henry the Fourth.
Well
Safe; as, a chip warranted well at a certain day and place.
Well
A deep hole or shaft dug or drilled to obtain water or oil or gas or brine
Well
A cavity or vessel used to contain liquid
Well
An abundant source;
She was a well of information
Well
An open shaft through the floors of a building (as for a stairway)
Well
An enclosed compartment in a ship or plane for holding something as e.g. fish or a plane's landing gear or for protecting something as e.g. a ship's pumps
Well
Come up;
Tears well in her eyes
Well
In good health especially after having suffered illness or injury;
Appears to be entirely well
The wound is nearly well
A well man
I think I'm well; at least I feel well
Well
Resulting favorably;
Its a good thing that I wasn't there
It is good that you stayed
It is well that no one saw you
All's well that ends well
Well
Wise or advantageous and hence advisable;
It would be well to start early
Well
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (`good' is a nonstandard dialectal variant for `well');
The children behaved well
A task well done
The party went well
He slept well
A well-argued thesis
A well-planned party
The baby can walk pretty good
Well
Thoroughly or completely; fully; often used as a combining form;
The problem is well understood
She was well informed
Shake well before using
In order to avoid food poisoning be sure the meat is well cooked
Well-done beef
Well-satisfied customers
Well-educated
Well
Indicating high probability; in all likelihood;
I might well do it
A mistake that could easily have ended in disaster
You may well need your umbrella
He could equally well be trying to deceive us
Well
(used for emphasis or as an intensifier) entirely or fully;
A book well worth reading
Was well aware of the difficulties ahead
Suspected only too well what might be going on
Well
To a suitable or appropriate extent or degree;
The project was well underway
The fetus has well developed organs
His father was well pleased with his grades
Well
Favorably; with approval;
Their neighbors spoke well of them
He thought well of the book
Well
To a great extent or degree;
I'm afraid the film was well over budget
Painting the room white made it seem considerably (or substantially) larger
The house has fallen considerably in value
The price went up substantially
Well
With great or especially intimate knowledge;
We knew them well
Well
With prudence or propriety;
You would do well to say nothing more
Could not well refuse
Well
With skill or in a pleasing manner;
She dances well
He writes well
Well
In a manner affording benefit or advantage;
She married well
The children were settled advantageously in Seattle
Well
In financial comfort;
They live well
She has been able to live comfortably since her husband died
Well
Without unusual distress or resentment; with good humor;
Took the joke well
Took the tragic news well
Common Curiosities
Can Well indicate a depth of something, like skill?
Yes, like in the phrase "well versed," indicating someone is very knowledgeable.
What's the opposite of being Sick?
The opposite of being Sick is being Well or in good health.
Is Well also a noun?
Yes, Well can refer to a source of water from the ground.
Can being Sick mean feeling nauseous?
Yes, if someone says "I feel sick" after a ride, they likely mean nauseated.
How is Sick used in slang?
In slang, Sick can mean something is impressive or cool.
Does Well always pertain to health?
No, Well has varied uses, including expressing satisfaction, agreement, or surprise.
How do I use Well to express surprise?
Start a statement with "Well," such as "Well, I didn't see that coming!"
Can Sick refer to both physical and mental conditions?
Yes, Sick can denote both physical illnesses and feelings of emotional distress.
How does Well confirm understanding?
It can be used as an acknowledgment, like saying "Well, if that's the case..."
Can both Sick and Well be used figuratively?
Yes, both can be used beyond their literal meanings in varied contexts, including literature and daily expressions.
Is Sick always negative?
Mostly, but in slang, it can be a compliment, meaning something is cool.
Can Sick mean tired or fed up?
Yes, like in the phrase "sick of," which means being fed up with something.
Can Sick indicate strong aversions?
Yes, like when someone says "I feel sick" after seeing something distressing.
How do I use Well to indicate a satisfactory manner?
You can say things like "The event was executed well."
How is Well used in comparisons?
Well can be used to indicate a higher degree, e.g., "He's well more experienced than her."
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
