1
as in disease
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sickness
the condition of not being in good health
prone to illness as a child, he was sent to a western ranch with the expectation that it would toughen him up
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of illness
But for children younger than 5 and adults over 65, severe illness, including dehydration that requires hospitalization, is more likely.
—
Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 30 Apr. 2026
The best way to prevent illness is to wash hands after handling poultry, their food or items in their environment.
—Jonel Aleccia, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
Veteran point guard Shey Peddy was ruled out with a lower left leg injury, and rookie point guard Harmoni Turner was a late scratch due to illness, which forced Meziane to rework his lineups last minute.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 30 Apr. 2026
Shingles is a rash-causing illness which can be painful, itchy or tingly, and is caused by a virus reactivating, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
—ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for illness
Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 30 Apr. 2026
The best way to prevent illness is to wash hands after handling poultry, their food or items in their environment.
—Jonel Aleccia, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
Veteran point guard Shey Peddy was ruled out with a lower left leg injury, and rookie point guard Harmoni Turner was a late scratch due to illness, which forced Meziane to rework his lineups last minute.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 30 Apr. 2026
Shingles is a rash-causing illness which can be painful, itchy or tingly, and is caused by a virus reactivating, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
—ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for illness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illness
Noun
-
The proposal would burden doctors with giving parents a highly detailed consent statement to be prepared by boards of medicine and osteopathic medicine, and forbid health authorities to order vaccinations during outbreaks of familiar or new deadly diseases.—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Overall, about half of children with the disease are infected during birth, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia said, while others caught it from family members.—
Cara Lynn Shultz,
PEOPLE,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The bill would repeal a law that now denies absentee ballots to any voter who cannot attest to being unable to vote in person due to sickness, disability, absence, military service, religious conflicts or being an elections worker.—
Mark Pazniokas,
Hartford Courant,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Fears of sickness, of strange lumps and unexplained bleeding.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Manager Craig Counsell described this hamstring strain as mild, explaining Thielbar said this is a less-severe version of the ailment.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Lee awkwardly slid into home and banged up his quad in the process, a minor ailment that resulted in him being lifted from the game in the eighth inning.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
And this one guy at this one firm can't solve all of his industry's ills.—
Sam Yellowhorse Kesler,
NPR,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Even as professional coders are becoming increasingly enthusiastic about the power of AI coding tools, many end users still see them as a boogeyman to instantly blame for any and all observed ills in the tech industry.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Levi’s World Cup fever is heating up.—
Angela Velasquez,
Footwear News,
24 Apr. 2026
-
And Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis (2022) dropped its kitschy, hip-swiveling subject into a delirious fever dream that at the very least made its messy screenplay interesting.—
Keith Murphy,
VIBE.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Illness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illness. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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