tonsillitis

noun

ton·​sil·​li·​tis ˌtän(t)-sə-ˈlī-təs 

: inflammation of the tonsils

Examples of tonsillitis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Missed the Euros last year due to tonsillitis, meaning this World Cup will be his first major international tournament. —Nick Miller, New York Times, 3 Dec. 2025

Caden Pinnick passed for 325 yards and a touchdown in his return to action after missing last week’s win at Northern Colorado with tonsillitis, but the redshirt freshman was intercepted twice. —Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 2 Nov. 2025

In July, Yungblud had to postpone a show in Liverpool, England due to suffering from tonsillitis. —Daniela Avila, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2025

Then tonsillitis spiraled into sepsis. —Michal Ruprecht, NPR, 8 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

New Latin

First Known Use

1801, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tonsillitis

• cellulitis
• margaritas
• caritas
• civitas
• fetus
• foetus
• meatus
• thetis
• treatise

Kids Definition

tonsillitis

noun

ton·​sil·​li·​tis ˌtän(t)-sə-ˈlīt-əs 

: inflammation of the tonsils

Medical Definition

tonsillitis

noun

ton·​sil·​li·​tis ˌtän(t)-sə-ˈlīt-əs 

: inflammation of the tonsils and especially the palatine tonsils typically due to viral or bacterial infection and marked by red enlarged tonsils usually with sore throat, fever, difficult swallowing, hoarseness or loss of voice, and tender or swollen lymph nodes