-
- To save this word, you'll need to log in.
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
Blink Twice nods at a tangle of different contemporary ailments: lifestyle fetishism, wellness hedonism, our obscene fealty to stolid tech bros and their untrammeled wealth.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 6 Dec. 2024
She was hospitalized for various ailments in 2005 and has kept her life private since then.
—Liza Esquibias, People.com, 5 Dec. 2024
Even the corneas of shark eyes have reportedly been used for human transplants in Yemen, and shark cartilage is marketed as a panacea for various ailments.
—Melissa Cristina Marquez, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024
The ailment — a strained teres major/lat muscle — is one that Rodriguez previously dealt with as a minor leaguer in 2022.
—Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 25 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ailment
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.
Word History
Etymology
First Known Use
1606, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near ailment
Cite this Entry
“Ailment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ailment. Accessed 12 Dec. 2024.
Medical Definition
ailment
noun
ail·ment
ˈā(ə)l-mənt
: a bodily disorder or chronic disease
More from Merriam-Webster on ailment
Nglish: Translation of ailment for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of ailment for Arabic Speakers
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share