as in diseases
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
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Recent Examples of illnesses
These rules, enforced by the state Department of Health, are designed to prevent outbreaks of contagious illnesses that once posed widespread threats.
—
Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025
Public records and lawsuits show that many in-custody deaths involved serious health care lapses — medication being withheld, delayed care and failure to monitor people with serious illnesses.
—Kelly Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Sep. 2025
Florida to drop all vaccine requirements The US state of Florida is planning to drop all vaccination requirements, including routine childhood shots for measles, diphtheria, and other life-threatening illnesses.
—Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Immediately after the illnesses were reported, village staff flushed the line by the home, Elmore said.
—Madeline Heim, jsonline.com, 5 Sep. 2025
No illnesses related to the recall have been reported.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
These trends were similar in Kentucky as a whole, and the timing aligns with surges of COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses in previous years.
—Connor Giffin, The Courier-Journal, 30 Aug. 2025
The Arizona Department of Health Services confirms that there are more than 40 species of mosquito that live in the state, and some of them can carry illnesses.
—Shelby Slade, AZCentral.com, 29 Aug. 2025
The human costs of this are the increasing rates of illnesses and the financial costs of health care, lost productivity, and the compounding problems of further environmental denigration.
—Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025
Public records and lawsuits show that many in-custody deaths involved serious health care lapses — medication being withheld, delayed care and failure to monitor people with serious illnesses.
—Kelly Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Sep. 2025
Florida to drop all vaccine requirements The US state of Florida is planning to drop all vaccination requirements, including routine childhood shots for measles, diphtheria, and other life-threatening illnesses.
—Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Immediately after the illnesses were reported, village staff flushed the line by the home, Elmore said.
—Madeline Heim, jsonline.com, 5 Sep. 2025
No illnesses related to the recall have been reported.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
These trends were similar in Kentucky as a whole, and the timing aligns with surges of COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses in previous years.
—Connor Giffin, The Courier-Journal, 30 Aug. 2025
The Arizona Department of Health Services confirms that there are more than 40 species of mosquito that live in the state, and some of them can carry illnesses.
—Shelby Slade, AZCentral.com, 29 Aug. 2025
The human costs of this are the increasing rates of illnesses and the financial costs of health care, lost productivity, and the compounding problems of further environmental denigration.
—Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illnesses
Noun
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Fox News' Health newsletter brings you stories on the latest developments in healthcare, wellness, diseases, mental health and more.—
Staff,
FOXNews.com,
5 Sep. 2025
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Will eradicated diseases make a comeback if vaccination rates decline?—
Lily Altavena,
Freep.com,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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And, in the course of the novel, the characters do, in fact, die, one after another, but mostly from the ailments of old age.—
Rivka Galchen,
New Yorker,
6 Sep. 2025
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The partnership tried to play through the ailments, but the results weren’t materializing for most of the year.—
The Athletic Tennis Staff,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Pathogens in human poop can remain active for a long time – over a year in outdoor environments – meaning that waste left behind today can cause severe gastrointestinal disease and other sicknesses for future visitors.—
B. Derrick Taff,
The Conversation,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
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In their assessments, desegregation and the passage of time have cured all of America’s racial ills.—
Time,
Time,
4 Sep. 2025
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Macbeth, also an unstable Scottish king, blames the witches for the ills caused by his own murderous decisions.—
Emily Zarevich,
JSTOR Daily,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Measles also causes fevers and red, watery eyes and can lead to complications such as pneumonia or, in rare cases, brain damage and death.—
Elizabeth Chuck,
NBC News,
4 Mar. 2025
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They are associated with fevers, chills, night sweats, unexplained weight loss, pregnancy, or a postpartum or immunocompromising condition.—
Cathy Nelson,
Verywell Health,
3 Mar. 2025
Noun
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These plants are adapted to the specific soils, climate and other local conditions of their region and support the local food web, providing habitat for native wildlife, pollinators and insects.—
Chris McKeown,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
6 Sep. 2025
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These conditions make travel difficult.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Illnesses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illnesses. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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