1
: a bodily disorder or chronic disease
a stomach ailment
2
: unrest, uneasiness
an emotional ailment
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
The women wanted physicians who were disease preventers, and doctors who were attentive to the difficulties wrought by menopause, which have been increasingly found to leave women vulnerable to other ailments.
—
Melanie Thernstrom,
New Yorker,
29 June 2026
Imaging this week showed Brown has a stress reaction in his neck, which was in the same spot as his 2024 ailment that ultimately had been diagnosed as an osteoma (benign bone tumor).
—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
27 June 2026
Alina Korneeva, a peer of Russia’s Andreeva who won girls’ Grand Slam titles at the Australian and French Opens in 2023, has since had to manage numerous injuries, including to her playing wrist, the ailment that tennis stars might fear most of all.
—
Caoimhe O'Neill,
New York Times,
25 June 2026
Peterson had a chaotic lone season with the Jayhawks, filled with various injuries and ailments, but remained in contention for a top-3 pick the entire year.
—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
24 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for ailment
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Melanie Thernstrom,
New Yorker,
29 June 2026
Imaging this week showed Brown has a stress reaction in his neck, which was in the same spot as his 2024 ailment that ultimately had been diagnosed as an osteoma (benign bone tumor).
—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
27 June 2026
Alina Korneeva, a peer of Russia’s Andreeva who won girls’ Grand Slam titles at the Australian and French Opens in 2023, has since had to manage numerous injuries, including to her playing wrist, the ailment that tennis stars might fear most of all.
—
Caoimhe O'Neill,
New York Times,
25 June 2026
Peterson had a chaotic lone season with the Jayhawks, filled with various injuries and ailments, but remained in contention for a top-3 pick the entire year.
—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
24 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for ailment
Cite this Entry
“Ailment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ailment. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
ailment
noun
ail·ment
ˈā(ə)l-mənt 
: a bodily disorder or chronic disease
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