sickness

noun

sick·​ness ˈsik-nəs 

1

a

: ill health : illness

b

: a disordered, weakened, or unsound condition

2

: a specific disease

3

: nausea, queasiness

Synonyms of sickness

• illness

Examples of sickness in a Sentence

He died from an unknown sickness.

she was plagued by sickness most of her adult life

Recent Examples on the Web

Visiting different checkpoints meant my sickness excuse worked on each of them. — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026

Engineers need to cure the sickness, as applying bandages to the wound just isn’t working. — Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026

And soon, the virus would also cross borders, triggering food insecurity, widespread sickness, and mass casualties around the world. — Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026

Across social media, travelers this summer have been opening up about stories of rocky crossings, ill passengers and crews handing out sickness bags. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 16 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing sickness

• acute mountain sickness
• African sleeping sickness
• altitude sickness
• decompression sickness
• milk sickness
• morning sickness
• motion sickness
• mountain sickness
• radiation sickness
• serum sickness
• sickness benefit
• sleeping sickness
• travel sickness

Rhymes for sickness

• quickness
• thickness
• homesickness
• seasickness

Kids Definition

sickness

noun

sick·​ness ˈsik-nəs 

1

: ill health : illness

2

: a specific disease : malady

3

: nausea sense 1

Medical Definition

sickness

noun

sick·​ness ˈsik-nəs 

1

: the condition of being ill : ill health

2

: a specific disease

3

: nausea