Meaning

"I'm sick of it" means you've had too much of something and you don't want any more. Like "sick and tired", it has nothing to do with being ill. The picture is of eating the same food until it turns your stomach. The pattern is "sick of" plus a noun or an -ing verb: "sick of rain", "sick of hearing about it".

It's shorter and punchier than "sick and tired of", and it often comes out in a single breath when patience finally breaks: "That's it. I'm sick of it." That bluntness is what makes it useful and what makes it risky. About the weather or a slow website, it's a normal complaint. Said to a person, especially "I'm sick of you", it's rude and hurtful, and it can end a conversation fast.

If the problem is with someone's behavior and you want it to change, say what you'd like instead: "I'd really like us to share the dishes more evenly." You get the same message across without the fight. You'll also hear "fed up with", which is a bit softer.

In a conversation

EmmaChen
  1. Emma
  2. Chen
  3. Emma
  4. Chen
  5. Emma

Say it out loud

Tap a sentence to hear it. Say it after the voice.

Check yourself

1"I'm sick of this song." What does the speaker mean?
2Your roommate never does the dishes. Which is the better way to raise it?

Practice · 3 min

Listen, then repeat. "Sick of it" runs together, "SICK-uh-vit", with the stress on "sick".

Say it today

Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.