1
as in disease
an abnormal state that disrupts a plant's or animal's normal bodily functioning
suffered from a mysterious illness that left her weak and tired all the time
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sickness
the condition of not being in good health
prone to illness as a child, he was sent to a western ranch with the expectation that it would toughen him up
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of illness
At that point, a strange odor in the cabin was reported, and flight attendants complained of sudden illness.
—
Colleen Mondor, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
But that pattern of inequality was roughly consistent across space, unlike the sharp modern gaps between countries, and even kings and popes died of illnesses and suffered from toothaches like everyone else.
—Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
Tests are most accurate a few days into symptoms, not at the first sign of illness.
—Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2026
In addition, Jamahl Mosley‘s squad was without Jalen Suggs (illness), Anthony Black (left lateral abdominal strain), Franz Wagner (left high ankle sprain injury management) and Jonathan Isaac (left knee sprain) on the road.
—Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for illness
Colleen Mondor, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
But that pattern of inequality was roughly consistent across space, unlike the sharp modern gaps between countries, and even kings and popes died of illnesses and suffered from toothaches like everyone else.
—Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
Tests are most accurate a few days into symptoms, not at the first sign of illness.
—Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2026
In addition, Jamahl Mosley‘s squad was without Jalen Suggs (illness), Anthony Black (left lateral abdominal strain), Franz Wagner (left high ankle sprain injury management) and Jonathan Isaac (left knee sprain) on the road.
—Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for illness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illness
Noun
-
Burning coal produces fine particles that lodge deep in the lungs and bloodstream, raising the risk of heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and chronic respiratory disease, according to the World Health Organization.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Houry points to recent public health threats caused by vaccine preventable diseases, on which Kennedy has not given the typical response of promoting vaccines.—
Pien Huang,
NPR,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The symptoms of our darkest cultural sicknesses become visible.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Chee grimaces in pain from his ghost sickness wounds, and Manuelito notices.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
And their best is Ragans, the opening day ace who was limited to just 13 starts while battling a groin injury and then a rotator cuff ailment in 2025.—
Sam McDowell,
Kansas City Star,
27 Mar. 2026
-
These bacteria are known to cause a host of ailments, including listeriosis, typhoid fever, tuberculosis, diphtheria, Guillain-Barré syndrome, miscarriage, brucellosis, chronic inflammatory conditions, reactive arthritis and death.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The first New Mexico trial on the ills and dangers of social media platforms began in February after a nearly three-year probe by the state.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
24 Mar. 2026
-
And Pearl, while making his team’s case Thursday, unwittingly did a fine job of spelling out the ills of expansion as well.—
Joe Rexrode,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Worrisome symptoms that warrant a call to a doctor include dizziness, ongoing diarrhea with a fever over 102 degrees and an inability to keep liquids down without vomiting.—
Erika Edwards,
NBC news,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Symptoms to look out for include a bluish discoloration of the skin, abnormally rapid breathing, and fever.—
Brad Stulberg,
Outside,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Illness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illness. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
