diseased

adjective

dis·​eased di-ˈzēzd 

: affected with or as if with a disease : lacking health or soundness : sickly

During a transplant, the surgeon removes the diseased lung (sometimes both) and transplants a lung or lungs from a donor.

—Elaine K. Howley

Pruning is critical to blueberry productivity. An annual pruning regimen is needed to remove old and diseased canes, encourage strong new canes and increase the harvest.

—Sequim (Washington) Gazette

He said he occasionally has had to put an animal down if it is diseased or severely injured, but often works with animal rehabilitators to rescue others when possible.

—Sarah Bowman

Sirois believes that the confession from Hernandez, who has since pleaded not guilty, was the product of a diseased mind. Defense lawyers claim he's mentally ill, hears voices, and has rock-bottom intelligence.

—Andrea Peyser

Examples of diseased in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has claimed beef prices are rising because of immigrants bringing diseased cattle across the border. —Alia Shoaib, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Nov. 2025

Prune the plant to remove any dead or diseased branches, immature fruit, or flowers. —Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 14 Nov. 2025

Waiting until spring to rake leaves out of your garden beds can benefit pollinators, but diseased and pest-ridden plants should always be destroyed at the end of the season to keep problems from reoccurring in spring. —Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Nov. 2025

This was done to simulate a diseased spot that the cells would naturally seek out (like inflammation caused by Alzheimer’s, or a stroke). —Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 12 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for diseased

• appeased
• displeased
• breezed
• eased
• pleased
• seized
• sneezed
• squeezed
• teased
• wheezed