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
While every ceremonial facilitator has their own unique way of preparing ayahuasca, most often two plants are brewed together (caapi vine and chacruna leaves) to create the highly powerful, transportive substance that can be used to treat physical and mental ailments.
—
Michaela Trimble, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 June 2026
That doesn’t always look like the drug therapy at the end of that, no matter what that ailment may look like.
—Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 June 2026
Tabbed a Colts starter as a rookie, hamstring and quadriceps ailments shut him down halfway through that initial professional campaign.
—David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 5 June 2026
But when the 27-year-old uploaded 16 years of meticulously kept medical records into ChatGPT, the machine reported that Morgan was suffering from a different ailment than the one diagnosed by doctors.
—Elizabeth Dwoskin, Washington Post, 4 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for ailment
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Michaela Trimble, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 June 2026
That doesn’t always look like the drug therapy at the end of that, no matter what that ailment may look like.
—Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 June 2026
Tabbed a Colts starter as a rookie, hamstring and quadriceps ailments shut him down halfway through that initial professional campaign.
—David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 5 June 2026
But when the 27-year-old uploaded 16 years of meticulously kept medical records into ChatGPT, the machine reported that Morgan was suffering from a different ailment than the one diagnosed by doctors.
—Elizabeth Dwoskin, Washington Post, 4 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 11 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
ailment
noun
ail·ment
ˈā(ə)l-mənt 
: a bodily disorder or chronic disease
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