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I'm not a native English speaker so I don't quite understand the nuance of these two words.

When talking about various injuries of an individual or a group of people, which is the right word to use?

To explain more, if a group of people are hurt because of an accident or physically hurt can you say "The sick have been transported to the hospital"? or "The sick are members of the association" etc. Because the my language to English dictionary says "sick" is universally or collectively used when talking about patients or people who are ill or hurt.

Thank you very much in advance.

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    An injured person is a sick person in the sense their health is not OK. Doesn't work the other way round.
    – user405662
    Commented Mar 10 at 12:46
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    No - if a group of people are hurt because of an accident we refer to them as injured or wounded. In general, sick people are people who have diseases. In some contexts we need to refer to people with health problems without distinguishing between those with injuries and those with diseases, in which case it's possible to call them all sick, but we generally try to avoid that anyway (often, they're all just patients receiving / needing medical treatment).
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Mar 10 at 13:04
  • English traditionally can use an adjective to mean 'people in that condition' - the wounded, the poor and so on - though nowadays it's considered more respectful to use expressions like people living in poverty. For an individual, you have to use a noun - the sick man, the injured woman.
    – Kate Bunting
    Commented Mar 10 at 14:51

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In English, the term "sick" generally refers to individuals who are ill or have a disease, but it can also encompass people who are injured, especially in a more informal context. However, when referring to a group of people who have been injured in an accident, it might be more precise and clear to use terms like "the injured" or "casualties" when talking about them being transported to the hospital or being members of a group. Saying "The sick have been transported to the hospital" is not incorrect, but specifying "the injured" would more accurately convey that the individuals suffered physical harm rather than illness. Similarly, saying "The sick are members of the association" could be understood but using a more specific term related to their condition or the context might provide clearer communication.

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Sick (predominantly US English), or ill usually means you have an illness/disease or condition that has been contracted/caught or has developed; for example, a person who has a cold or influenza.

Injured exclusively means that a person has sustained an injury, or damage to their person; for example, a person who has broken their arm or has a cut/wound.

However, the word 'sick' (or 'sickness') is used in connection with time taken off work or school in connection with any medical issue. This time may be referred to as sick time, or sick leave. This is most likely because there is no need to make a distinction between illness and injury for the purpose of administering this.

Some looser terms, such as 'unwell' may perhaps be used by some to encompass both sickness and injury.

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