rheumatoid arthritis

noun

: a usually chronic autoimmune disease that is characterized especially by pain, stiffness, inflammation, swelling, and sometimes destruction of joints

—abbreviation RA compare osteoarthritis

Examples of rheumatoid arthritis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

People with rheumatoid arthritis can be treated with one or two medications and expect to experience disability-free lives with few to no symptoms. —Jason Liebowitz, The Atlantic, 4 Nov. 2025

Burns, a San Diego native, started her fitness journey as a teenager after she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, getting into group fitness classes and pilates. —Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Nov. 2025

Some of these include autoimmune diseases such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, blood clots, inflammatory disorders, some cancers or tissue injury, explains Gharahbaghian. —Daryl Austin, USA Today, 14 Oct. 2025

More than 50 million Americans live with an autoimmune disease, including rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and multiple sclerosis, and that number continues to grow. —Katherine Fung, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for rheumatoid arthritis

• diverticulitis
• epididymitis
• osteoarthritis
• periodontitis
• polymyositis
• pyelonephritis
• tenosynovitis
• adenitis
• arteritis
• blepharitis
• cervicitis
• cholangitis

Medical Definition

rheumatoid arthritis

noun

: a usually chronic disease that is considered an autoimmune disease and is characterized especially by pain, stiffness, inflammation, swelling, and sometimes destruction of joints

—abbreviation RA

called also atrophic arthritis

compare osteoarthritis