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
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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
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Recent Examples of illness
In his new role, the younger Costelloe will lead the development of all the brand’s collections, continuing the legacy of his father, who passed away last November at 80 following a short illness.
—
Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 15 Jan. 2026
Mosquitoes can transmit Zika, dengue fever, malaria and encephalitis, to name a few illnesses—all of which are harmful to human health and can kill.
—Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 15 Jan. 2026
Smith and senior quarterback Jack Thomas hadn’t had time to gameplan that week as the head coach dealt with an illness.
—Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 15 Jan. 2026
Measles vaccine has prevented serious illness Before the first vaccine launched in 1963, nearly all American children caught the measles.
—Caitlin McGlade, Charlotte Observer, 15 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for illness
Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 15 Jan. 2026
Mosquitoes can transmit Zika, dengue fever, malaria and encephalitis, to name a few illnesses—all of which are harmful to human health and can kill.
—Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 15 Jan. 2026
Smith and senior quarterback Jack Thomas hadn’t had time to gameplan that week as the head coach dealt with an illness.
—Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 15 Jan. 2026
Measles vaccine has prevented serious illness Before the first vaccine launched in 1963, nearly all American children caught the measles.
—Caitlin McGlade, Charlotte Observer, 15 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for illness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illness
Noun
-
The path to health involves aggressive treatment that eradicates the disease.—
Pedro A. Rojas Arroyo,
Boston Herald,
22 Jan. 2026
-
These issues include high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, liver disease, and multiple types of cancer, including breast, liver, colorectal, esophageal, and head and neck cancers.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
From the moment the kids set foot back at school in the fall, until some time around spring break, parents can expect sicknesses to take over their homes faster than the latest viral slang expression.—
Melissa Willets,
Parents,
10 Jan. 2026
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The leading causes of harm to the whales are linked to human interference; entanglements in fishing gear and boat and ship collisions have resulted in significant increases in sickness, injury, and death.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In 2010, two years before his death at 82 from complications of heart and lung ailments, Reisman founded Table Tennis Nation.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Wide receiver Kayshon Boutte, who popped up on the injury report Thursday with a hamstring ailment, was present.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
As a result of her work with AMRs, Wise avoids framing humanoids as some sort of industrial panacea for every economic ill, from labor shortages to manufacturing bottlenecks.—
James Vincent,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
-
Certainly, in the past several years, the app has been blamed for any number of contemporary social ills.—
Naomi Fry,
New Yorker,
27 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Paster is prepared for the fever dream of a press trail that awaits them.—
Alice Newbold,
Vogue,
12 Jan. 2026
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Symptoms such as headache, stiff neck, vomiting and fever come on suddenly, and may be mistaken for other minor illnesses.—
Kaitlin Sullivan,
NBC news,
11 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Illness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illness. Accessed 22 Jan. 2026.
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