ailments

noun

plural of ailment
as in diseases
an abnormal state that disrupts a plant's or animal's normal bodily functioning a doctor known for successfully treating patients with chronic back ailments

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 ailments The campaign is unfolding as the city contends with myriad urban ailments. — ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026 Running backs Tank Bigsby and Will Shipley also are dealing with ailments, while offensive lineman Lane Johnson surprised everyone with his retirement mid-season. — Scott Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026 The lack of clarity on the root of his ailments complicated the balancing act on both sides. — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026 Symptoms of lung cancer can include coughing, shortness of breath, overwhelming fatigue and pain in the back, chest or shoulder, which could be confused for other ailments. — Estelamari Rodriguez, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026 ChatGPT is not your doctor, although most people are already using it to find out more information about their ailments, hypothetical or otherwise. — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026 Another handful of Panthers injuries to monitor The Panthers also have a few ailments to keep track of during the Week 5 bye. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 5 Oct. 2026 This puzzle is stuffed with nuance, pleasing crosses and a lot of simply terrific, ridiculously evocative stuff — for example, a jarring assortment of lovely trivia intersecting with some hideous ailments at more than one juncture. — Caitlin Lovinger, New York Times, 3 Oct. 2026 Most of the siblings died of similar ailments, following similar patterns, that experts said could have been resolved with interventions as simple as insulin, antibiotics or a supply of oxygen. — Audrey Dutton, ProPublica, 1 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ailments
  1. diseases
  2. illnesses
  3. ills
  4. sicknesses
  5. conditions
  6. fevers
Noun
  • Animal diseases also threaten our economy and food system, destroying more than 20% of global livestock production each year.
    — Robert Kelly, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The couple created the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, a philanthropic organization whose efforts include curing, managing and preventing all diseases.
    — Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of diseases
Noun
  • No illnesses have been reported so far, according to the recall notice.
    — Hali Smith, Idaho Statesman, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Likewise, the agents that cause illnesses such as COVID-19, influenza, mumps, pertussis, and strep throat can be transmitted as heavy droplets that land on mucous membranes.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of illnesses
Noun
  • Hilton has blasted Becerra as taking the state’s voters for granted, failing to hold public campaign events to explain his detailed plans to address California’s many ills.
    — Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Now, in The Social Reckoning, Sorkin focuses on the ills of the company Facebook eventually became.
    — Eliana Dockterman, Time, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of ills
Noun
  • And while children, the elderly and those with certain sicknesses or medications are most susceptible to heat illness – these temperatures affect everyone.
    — Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 17 July 2026
  • At the end of the day, both doctors agree that hotel stays shouldn’t deter people from traveling altogether, since there are always ways to proactively minimize exposure and subsequent sicknesses.
    — Joey Skladany, Travel + Leisure, 30 June 2026
Definition of sicknesses
Noun
  • Those factors are putting homeownership out of reach for many buyers while others delay a purchase and hope for more favorable conditions, perhaps in the spring.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
  • The Israeli Supreme Court earlier this year ordered the government to resume sharing such lists and allowing the ICRC to visit detainees in Israeli prisons to assess their conditions.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of conditions
Noun
  • The Bundibugyo virus comes from the same family as the Ebola virus that caused the 2014 West Africa and 2018 Congo epidemics, causing the fatal fevers associated with Ebola.
    — Ananya Rupanagunta, Vox, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Listeria’s high fevers can cause miscarriages and stillbirths in pregnant women.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of fevers

Browse Nearby Words

ailment
ailments
ails
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Cite this Entry

“Ailments.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ailments. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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