infirmities

noun

plural of infirmity
as in diseases
an abnormal state that disrupts a plant's or animal's normal bodily functioning an 18th-century quack who specialized in those mysterious infirmities that are known only to the idle rich

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 infirmities Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said protecting elderly people from predators who take advantage of their mental or physical infirmities is a priority of her office. — Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2026 Because of his infirmities, he is housed in a medical unit of the jail, away from the general population. — Maer Roshan, HollywoodReporter, 10 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for infirmities
  1. diseases
  2. ailments
  3. illnesses
  4. ills
  5. sicknesses
  6. fevers
Noun
  • His views are contradicted by scores of studies showing vaccines have saved millions of lives and prevented long-term health problems from common diseases, while side-effects remain relatively rare.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 16 July 2026
  • The findings also showed that multiple brain diseases often coexist in older adults and that these overlapping pathologies raise the odds of developing dementia.
    — Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 July 2026
Definition of diseases
Noun
  • Heatstroke and sun poisoning are common Florida ailments—and quick vacation-ruiners.
    — Skye Sherman, Southern Living, 14 July 2026
  • Lyonne was arrested for a DUI in 2001; in 2005, she was admitted to the intensive-care unit of a New York hospital for a variety of ailments.
    — Gwen Ihnat, Entertainment Weekly, 11 July 2026
Definition of ailments
Noun
  • Those with heart disease and respiratory illnesses, young children and older adults are more at risk.
    — Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 5 July 2026
  • Researchers know deaths and illnesses rise during heat waves, but the numbers are hard to track, because there aren't uniform requirements.
    — Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 3 July 2026
Definition of illnesses
Noun
  • Last month, Kwon’s team, in collaboration with Seongju Kim at Hanbat National University, in Daejeon, South Korea, presented its solution to HBM’s future ills.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 8 July 2026
  • Hualde says that some Pamplona residents rue his early promotion of the festival due to the ills of overtourism the sleepy provincial city is now experiencing.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 July 2026
Definition of ills
Noun
  • 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
  • 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
Definition of sicknesses
Noun
  • Then anaplasmosis joined the fray, spreading fevers and chills of its own.
    — Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
  • The worst is over—the fevers have broken, the tissues have dwindled, and everyone is slowly regaining their energy.
    — Hannah Nwoko, Parents, 28 June 2026
Definition of fevers

Browse Nearby Words

infirmary
infirmities
infirmity
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Cite this Entry

“Infirmities.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infirmities. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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