ILLNESS Synonyms: 88 Similar and Opposite Words

illness

noun

ˈil-nəs

as in disease

an abnormal state that disrupts a plant's or animal's normal bodily functioning suffered from a mysterious illness that left her weak and tired all the time

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in sickness

the condition of not being in good health prone to illness as a child, he was sent to a western ranch with the expectation that it would toughen him up

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 illness The defendants were accused of running sham hospice care facilities that defrauded Medicare by using people without terminal illnesses as beneficiaries, according to the California Justice Department. —

Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 2 Apr. 2026 Granted, Norman Powell missed his third consecutive game due to an upper-respiratory illness, but still a compact mix in the wake of success when Spoelstra went 10 or even further deep during the best of times. —

Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2026 Research suggests this sudden, inexplicable illness affects women more often than men. —

Lindsay Dodgson, SELF, 2 Apr. 2026 Conversations with pediatricians suggest additional Hib cases are occurring and causing severe illness. —

Erika Edwards, NBC news, 2 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for illness

Recent Examples of Synonyms for illness

Noun

Eventually an eye infection took her to a doctor who diagnosed her with an autoimmune disease.

— Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
Scientists were searching for a new breed of pear tree resistant to a nasty fungus called fire blight, a disease that can decimate crops.

— John Tufts, IndyStar, 1 Apr. 2026