1
: a bodily disorder or chronic disease
a stomach ailment
2
: unrest, uneasiness
an emotional ailment
Synonyms
Examples of ailment in a Sentence
She suffered from a chronic back ailment.
The doctor treated him for a variety of ailments.
Recent Examples on the Web
Many in Los Angeles, including Ueberroth and the Games organizers, had worried the Olympics would be marred by the area’s usual summertime ailments: traffic, smog and heat.
—
Les Carpenter, Washington Post, 21 July 2024
Perhaps Armstead and Mostert could attribute their late-season ailments to wear and tear.
—Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 19 July 2024
In the wake of the pandemic, many Americans fell out of the pattern of annual visits to primary-care practices, which can often discover ailments that would otherwise be life-threatening.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, Orlando Sentinel, 17 July 2024
Public health officials believe many more cases have gone undetected as immigrant workers go without care or are misdiagnosed with other lung ailments.
—Emily Alpert Reyes, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for ailment 
Les Carpenter, Washington Post, 21 July 2024
Perhaps Armstead and Mostert could attribute their late-season ailments to wear and tear.
—Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 19 July 2024
In the wake of the pandemic, many Americans fell out of the pattern of annual visits to primary-care practices, which can often discover ailments that would otherwise be life-threatening.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, Orlando Sentinel, 17 July 2024
Public health officials believe many more cases have gone undetected as immigrant workers go without care or are misdiagnosed with other lung ailments.
—Emily Alpert Reyes, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for ailment
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ailment.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near ailment
Cite this Entry
“Ailment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ailment. Accessed 26 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
ailment
noun
ail·ment
ˈā(ə)l-mənt 
: a bodily disorder or chronic disease
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share