sickness

noun

sick·​ness ˈsik-nəs 

1

a

: ill health : illness

b

: a disordered, weakened, or unsound condition

2

: a specific disease

3

: nausea, queasiness

Synonyms of sickness

• illness

Examples of sickness in a Sentence

He died from an unknown sickness.

she was plagued by sickness most of her adult life

Recent Examples on the Web

Of roughly 45,000 inmates booked annually, 50% disclose chronic illness and approximately 30% of the remaining half are unaware or don’t reveal a chronic sickness. —Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Mar. 2026

Ours is an age which consciously pursues health, and yet only believes in the reality of sickness. —Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 7 Mar. 2026

While the virus can cause human sickness, risk remains low, according to officials. —Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 7 Mar. 2026

Usually, such situations are due to some sort of island sickness or reward feast over-indulgence after weeks of not eating normal food. —Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing sickness

• acute mountain sickness
• African sleeping sickness
• altitude sickness
• decompression sickness
• milk sickness
• morning sickness
• motion sickness
• mountain sickness
• radiation sickness
• serum sickness
• sickness benefit
• sleeping sickness
• travel sickness

Rhymes for sickness

• quickness
• thickness
• homesickness
• seasickness

Kids Definition

sickness

noun

sick·​ness ˈsik-nəs 

1

: ill health : illness

2

: a specific disease : malady

3

: nausea sense 1

Medical Definition

sickness

noun

sick·​ness ˈsik-nəs 

1

: the condition of being ill : ill health

2

: a specific disease

3

: nausea