as in illnesses
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
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Recent Examples of diseases
More than 10,000 rare diseases affect 30 million Americans.
—
Elise Esposito, Boston Herald, 29 May 2026
Viral diseases in tomato plants cannot be treated with chemicals.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 29 May 2026
Vaccination rates have slipped, and large, multistate outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases have inevitably come roaring back.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 29 May 2026
There are excellent vaccines for many of the most contagious viral diseases, including measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox, shingles, polio, RSV, HPV, herpes, rotavirus, influenza and Covid-19.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 29 May 2026
There are excellent vaccines for many of the most contagious viral diseases, including measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox, shingles, polio, RSV, HPV, rotavirus, influenza and Covid-19.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 29 May 2026
Healthier soil means healthier, more nutrient-dense vegetables that can easily fight off diseases and pests.
—Special To The Denver Post, Denver Post, 29 May 2026
Potatoes are highly susceptible to pests like the Colorado potato beetle and diseases like late blight that caused the Irish potato famine.
—Nadia Hassani, The Spruce, 23 May 2026
According to the Cleveland Clinic, a stem cell transplant can treat — and sometimes cure — certain blood disorders, cancers and autoimmune diseases by replacing unhealthy stem cells with healthy ones, either from the patient's own bone marrow or donated stem cells from another person.
—Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 23 May 2026
Elise Esposito, Boston Herald, 29 May 2026
Viral diseases in tomato plants cannot be treated with chemicals.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 29 May 2026
Vaccination rates have slipped, and large, multistate outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases have inevitably come roaring back.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 29 May 2026
There are excellent vaccines for many of the most contagious viral diseases, including measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox, shingles, polio, RSV, HPV, herpes, rotavirus, influenza and Covid-19.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 29 May 2026
There are excellent vaccines for many of the most contagious viral diseases, including measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox, shingles, polio, RSV, HPV, rotavirus, influenza and Covid-19.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 29 May 2026
Healthier soil means healthier, more nutrient-dense vegetables that can easily fight off diseases and pests.
—Special To The Denver Post, Denver Post, 29 May 2026
Potatoes are highly susceptible to pests like the Colorado potato beetle and diseases like late blight that caused the Irish potato famine.
—Nadia Hassani, The Spruce, 23 May 2026
According to the Cleveland Clinic, a stem cell transplant can treat — and sometimes cure — certain blood disorders, cancers and autoimmune diseases by replacing unhealthy stem cells with healthy ones, either from the patient's own bone marrow or donated stem cells from another person.
—Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 23 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for diseases
Noun
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This is why wastewater can give us a better picture of the prevalence of illnesses not always easily detected in a healthcare setting, said Bidwell, especially because most people recover at home without seeing a doctor or being formally diagnosed.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
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Community engagement remains crucial, especially since early Ebola symptoms can resemble other illnesses.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
29 May 2026
Noun
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While every ceremonial facilitator has their own unique way of preparing ayahuasca, most often two plants are brewed together (caapi vine and chacruna leaves) to create the highly powerful, transportive substance that can be used to treat physical and mental ailments.—
Michaela Trimble,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 June 2026
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Tabbed a Colts starter as a rookie, hamstring and quadriceps ailments shut him down halfway through that initial professional campaign.—
David Furones,
Sun Sentinel,
5 June 2026
Noun
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Olena started with the children, the most vulnerable refugees as well as the most likely vectors of new sicknesses in the theater.—
James Verini,
The Atlantic,
12 May 2026
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The most sicknesses were reported in Michigan.—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Many Barcelona residents feel the Sagrada Familia's fame has driven some of overtourism's worst ills.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 June 2026
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Charli isn’t pretending the world’s ills are curable through a sweaty night dancing with friends.—
Scottie Andrew,
CNN Money,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
Bessent’s team will assess conditions in Gulf countries and request estimates of the cost of repairing damage inflicted by Iran since the start of the conflict.—
Dalia Abdelwahab,
CNN Money,
7 June 2026
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According to experts, travel creates the perfect conditions for tight bonds.—
Arati Menon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 June 2026
Noun
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Pelvic floor disorders can occur when these muscles and tissues are too weak or too tight or don’t facilitate the proper functioning of these organs for other reasons.—
Stacey Colino,
Time,
9 June 2026
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The pesticide has been linked to human neurodevelopmental disorders.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
Noun
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Early signs can mimic a severe flu, including fevers, chills, a productive cough, and chest or back pain in cases where the lung is infected.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
27 May 2026
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Ebola is tricky to clinically diagnose because symptoms at early stage of the disease are similar to other infectious diseases such as malaria, typhoid fever, shigellosis, meningitis and other viral haemorrhagic fevers.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Diseases.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/diseases. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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