diseases

noun

plural of disease
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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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 diseases If the model works, Hund says Rare Ventures will expand to include more diseases and potentially fund more treatments. — Brad Quick, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026 This is far from the first time that Kennedy and his allies have attempted to downplay and spread misinformation about deaths from vaccine-preventable diseases. — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 27 Aug. 2026 They can be used to treat certain diseases, such as epilepsy, and may have some benefits in other psychiatric conditions such as depression and schizophrenia. — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 27 Aug. 2026 According to a recent investigation by Australian researchers, drugs to slow the loss of neurological function in young patients may have already been approved to treat other diseases. — Mike McRae 26, New Atlas, 26 Aug. 2026 Two centuries later, Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch helped establish germ theory, which holds that many diseases are caused by infectious agents that multiply in the body. — Jason Liebowitz, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2026 Hence, this mechanism represents a critical avenue by which new human diseases arise. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Aug. 2026 Wet leaves encourage diseases such as black spot and powdery mildew. — Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 25 Aug. 2026 West Nile virus is the most common of the diseases transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes. — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for diseases
  1. illnesses
  2. ailments
  3. sicknesses
  4. ills
  5. conditions
  6. disorders
  7. fevers
Noun
  • Many of the chihuahuas are emaciated and have varying illnesses, fleas and other medical concerns, according to Humane Indiana staff.
    — Anna Ortiz, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Lenders, and borrowers, care whether a mortgage can remain affordable through job changes, slowdowns, illnesses or other disruptions.
    — Medora Lee, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of illnesses
Noun
  • Curry had lived with various ailments following a 2012 stroke.
    — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Since then, raw egg yolks, pickle brine, cumin seeds, six-packs of Coke, and greasy breakfast sandwiches have all been credited with easing our post-drinking ailments.
    — Shayla Love, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of ailments
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
  • Alex Pantling/Getty Images What is clear is that no one thinks the changes enacted in either the Championship or League One are a resolution to the EFL’s marked financial ills.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Blaming billionaire wealth-hoarding for America’s ills would poll very well among the nation’s anthropology departments.
    — Gilad Edelman, The Atlantic, 19 July 2026
Definition of ills
Noun
  • The fact a majority of them belong to people who traveled from another country and the conditions of the desert itself both complicate efforts to identify remains, therefore hindering missing persons cases, experts say.
    — Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Relatives of sailors on board the carrier have described reports of deteriorating conditions and morale.
    — Dennis Romero, NBC news, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of conditions
Noun
  • These disorders can make one’s tolerance of negative feelings about a task much lower, Sirois added.
    — Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Cannom became one of the nation’s leading specialists on heart rhythm disorders and sudden cardiac deaths.
    — Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of disorders
Noun
  • Speaking to the Guardian, Florida State University marine biologist Dean Grubbs noted that large fevers of cownose rays historically only went as far as the Chesapeake Bay, with just a few individuals observed farther north.
    — Sanidhya Sharma, Scientific American, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Still's disease, a rare type of inflammatory arthritis that can cause rashes, debilitating pain, and fevers.
    — Rachana Pradhan, NPR, 20 July 2026
Definition of fevers

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Cite this Entry

“Diseases.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/diseases. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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