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
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Recent Examples of infirmities
The young men naturally start out strongly, but exhaustion, physical infirmities and psychological stress eventually take their toll on them one by one.
—
Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for infirmities
Noun
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Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes mellitus — a group of diseases associated with high blood sugar, called hyperglycemia.—
Tom Gavin,
EverydayHealth.com,
27 Feb. 2026
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The process of pasteurization, heating milk to a specific temperature for a set period of time, kills harmful organisms responsible for diseases such as listeriosis, typhoid fever, tuberculosis, diphtheria, Q fever, and brucellosis, according to the FDA.—
GMA Team,
ABC News,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
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And Floridians who never saw a flame e were hit with respiratory ailments, with some forced to move out of state until the smoke and ash settled.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 Feb. 2026
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Peterson, who’s dealt with cramping issues (and other ailments) all season, played 32 minutes.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
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That's actually down from the previous case count, because three infants were ultimately diagnosed with other illnesses not tied to botulism, health officials said.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Feb. 2026
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This comes at a time when young people are seeing a spike in concerning illnesses, including cancers and diabetes.—
Donna Vickroy,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Faced with high rates of suicide and other ills such as addiction, corrections officers have long been concerned about the stress and violence of their jobs.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
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Reform’s pitch to voters is that, for many of these ills, mass immigration is to blame.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
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From the moment the kids set foot back at school in the fall, until some time around spring break, parents can expect sicknesses to take over their homes faster than the latest viral slang expression.—
Melissa Willets,
Parents,
10 Jan. 2026
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And among parents, the fear of illnesses like polio, measles and other sicknesses were always present.—
Romy Ellenbogen,
Miami Herald,
18 Dec. 2025
Noun
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On the other hand, fevers, arm soreness, and other side effects of routine vaccination are quite visible to individual clinicians.—
Robert M. Califf,
STAT,
6 Feb. 2026
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Born healthy, Shiloh thrived through infancy until, around 18 months, unexplained fevers began to appear.—
Kaitlyn Gomez,
USA Today,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Infirmities.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infirmities. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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