illnesses

noun

plural of illness
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

Relevance

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 illnesses Over the next 60 years, polio, measles, rubella, smallpox and other illnesses nearly vanished. — Dr. Marianne Parshley, Hartford Courant, 10 Aug. 2026 Doctors say severe cases are seen more often in elderly patients, people with weakened immune systems, and those with liver disease, diabetes and certain chronic illnesses. — ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026 The weather service warns that heat illnesses could be an impact of high heat and humidity, with little relief during the evening hours. — Kaitlyn McCormick, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026 This summer has been particularly tough for foodborne illnesses, with reports of explosive diarrhea, severe stomach cramps, hospitalizations, and even deaths. — Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 7 Aug. 2026 The experiments were conducted in the Wuhan Institute of Virology, where illnesses of lab workers immediately preceded the pandemic. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2026 Pasteurization of milk protects children from dangerous illnesses and was developed to prevent life-threatening infections. — Parents, 6 Aug. 2026 The outbreak has since spread beyond Minnesota, with the CDC reporting at least 345 illnesses across 27 states as of Wednesday, including 36 hospitalizations. — Eric Henderson, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026 There are many studies that have unequivocally demonstrated that COVID-19 vaccines decreased hospitalization and severe illnesses from COVID-19 for children and adolescents. — Omer Awan, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illnesses
  1. diseases
  2. ailments
  3. sicknesses
  4. ills
  5. fevers
  6. conditions
Noun
  • Pathogens are microorganisms known to cause numerous diseases in their host, meaning Bifidobacterium animalis may help fight certain diseases.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Splitting up and spreading out childhood vaccines would be a seismic shift for families and a complicated, costly pursuit for the country that would only leave more people vulnerable to preventable diseases.
    — Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of diseases
Noun
  • Medics treat heat stroke and other ailments from trailers while an announcer calls out an endless stream of names of people separated from their families.
    — Jane Arraf, NPR, 10 Aug. 2026
  • During his time in the minors, Mayer dealt with hip, back, shoulder and wrist ailments.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 9 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
  • 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
Noun
  • Wu said that the fungus mostly affects patients with severe underlying medical conditions who require complex medical care.
    — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Media reports have suggested however, that Ocalan’s conditions in his island prison off Istanbul will likely be improved, giving him broader visiting conditions and communication with the outside world.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of conditions

Browse Nearby Words

illness
illnesses
illogic
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Illnesses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illnesses. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on illnesses

Nglish: Translation of illnesses for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of zeugma

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All