as in illness
an abnormal state that disrupts a plant's or animal's normal bodily functioning
they caught a rare disease while they were traveling in Africa and were sick for weeks
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of disease
Those in the higher-fit group generally developed diseases later and less often than those in the lower-fit groups.
—
Sarah Garone, Health, 13 May 2026
Those different sites of infection might influence the speed of disease progression.
—Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 13 May 2026
Recent wastewater data collected by Wastewater SCAN, an online service based at Stanford University that monitors municipal systems for diseases, found that parvovirus detection has increased throughout the region.
—Noe Padilla, USA Today, 13 May 2026
Cancer is personal for Pink, whose Vietnam War veteran father died of the disease in 2021.
—Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for disease
Sarah Garone, Health, 13 May 2026
Those different sites of infection might influence the speed of disease progression.
—Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 13 May 2026
Recent wastewater data collected by Wastewater SCAN, an online service based at Stanford University that monitors municipal systems for diseases, found that parvovirus detection has increased throughout the region.
—Noe Padilla, USA Today, 13 May 2026
Cancer is personal for Pink, whose Vietnam War veteran father died of the disease in 2021.
—Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for disease
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disease
Noun
-
Hantavirus is typically spread through contact with infected rodents and can lead to severe respiratory illness, though cases remain rare, according to the WHO.—
Brittany Miller,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
-
Bird flu, also known as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), is caused by a virus that can result in serious illness and death in birds and mammals.—
Christopher Edwards,
PEOPLE,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
Indicators can be so subtle and nonspecific that doctors tend to misattribute them to other, more common, ailments—which can delay diagnosis, sometimes for years.—
Nami Mun,
The Atlantic,
16 May 2026
-
The rotation has been marvelous from the get-go despite its ailments.—
Gabriel Burns,
AJC.com,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
The expectations, the hope is so high for that prescription to be the salve for their ills.—
Torie Bosch,
STAT,
25 Apr. 2026
-
And this one guy at this one firm can't solve all of his industry's ills.—
Sam Yellowhorse Kesler,
NPR,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration estimates that about 30 percent of people experiencing chronic homelessness live with a serious mental illness, and nearly half have a co-occurring substance use disorder.—
Shianne LeClaire,
Hartford Courant,
17 May 2026
-
Chronic circadian misalignment is associated with a 30-40% higher risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, depression and anxiety.—
Allison Palmer,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
Symptoms can include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain and internal bleeding.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
16 May 2026
-
Ebloa is treated through IV fluids and other medicine for blood pressure, vomiting, diarrhea, fever and pain.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
The order stranded them indefinitely, sometimes in life-threatening conditions.—
Annie Hylton,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
-
There are women who cannot carry pregnancies for a variety of reasons — genetic conditions, cancer and loss of uterus, for example.—
Ann Marie Luft,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
Cruise ship sickness Around 1,700 passengers are being held on a cruise ship after reports of an illness, but it’s not linked to the hantavirus outbreak, French authorities said.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
14 May 2026
-
This was accompanied by sickness, bloating and diarrhea.—
Adam England,
PEOPLE,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disease.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disease. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
