ailment

noun

ail·​ment ˈāl-mənt 

1

: a bodily disorder or chronic disease

a stomach ailment

2

: unrest, uneasiness

an emotional ailment

Synonyms

• affection
• ail
• bug
• complaint
• complication
• condition
• disease
• disorder
• distemper
• distemperature
• fever
• ill
• illness
• infirmity
• malady
• sickness
• trouble

Examples of ailment in a Sentence

She suffered from a chronic back ailment.

The doctor treated him for a variety of ailments.

Recent Examples on the Web

The North American run of the tour, which kicked off last April, was plagued with several cancellations and postponements due to the singer suffering various ailments. —Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 27 Apr. 2025

Francis died Monday at 88 years old following a life-threatening battle with respiratory ailments. —Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2025

In a world of sitting at desks and slumping in front of screens, back pain is known to be the most common ailment among Americans. —Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2025

Harvey, 30, was off to an impressive start in 2025 before his ailment, pitching 5 1/3 scoreless innings with seven strikeouts and no walks. —Jesse Newell, Kansas City Star, 23 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

ail entry 1 + -ment

First Known Use

1606, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for ailment

• bailment
• curtailment
• derailment
• entailment

Kids Definition

ailment

noun

ail·​ment ˈāl-mənt 

: a bodily disorder : sickness

Medical Definition

ailment

noun

ail·​ment ˈā(ə)l-mənt 

: a bodily disorder or chronic disease