1
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of illness
Pelle Larsson, who was listed as questionable with an illness, is available for the Hornets game.
—
Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
The illness can be dangerous or life-threatening, particularly to older adults, those with weakened immune systems and pregnant women.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025
The film tells the story of a character played by Frances Fisher, who is joined by Bill Paxton and Lauren Holly, and who is facing terminal illness.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
In March, Susan Watanabe died from her illness, and her husband’s chef work stopped completely for months.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for illness
Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
The illness can be dangerous or life-threatening, particularly to older adults, those with weakened immune systems and pregnant women.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025
The film tells the story of a character played by Frances Fisher, who is joined by Bill Paxton and Lauren Holly, and who is facing terminal illness.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
In March, Susan Watanabe died from her illness, and her husband’s chef work stopped completely for months.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for illness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illness
Noun
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The result is a hybrid system capable of autonomously targeting and treating disease sites with minimal disruption.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Nov. 2025
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As Hoffine noted, hunger often kills not just through starvation, but by weakening immune systems to the point where people can't fight off disease.—
Nurith Aizenman,
NPR,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Other symptoms include sickness, blurred vision, headaches and difficulty walking.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Nov. 2025
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Another grapples with a sensory sickness, unable to tell what’s real and what’s not.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Christian Braun added 31 points, Aaron Gordon scored 20, and Jamal Murray — playing through a calf ailment — finished with 15 points and seven assists.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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Chronic inflammation is a low-level, persistent activation of the immune system that can damage the body over time and is linked to ailments such as cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, and autoimmune conditions.—
Jason Liebowitz,
The Atlantic,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The resulting social ills of crime, disease, and despair were blamed not on the systems that produced them, but on the people who bore their weight.—
Fahad Zuberi,
Time,
5 Nov. 2025
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That solves a lot of problems, a lot of ills of society.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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These symptoms may include fever, muscle aches, fatigue, headache, confusion, loss of balance or seizures.—
Maia Pandey,
jsonline.com,
7 Nov. 2025
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Symptoms can include swelling in the neck or armpit, fatigue, fever, night sweats, weight loss, and feeling full quickly.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Illness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illness. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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