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

Characters and puppets bearing the signs of their demise are seen with shrunken heads, sickly-colored or blue from asphyxiation or other ailments and even sawn in half with different body parts operating separately. —Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 7 Sep. 2024

Rashes and a recall Then in 2022, after Whiting had fully left the brand, Laundress customers started reporting rashes and other skin ailments. —Kristine Gill, Fortune, 4 Sep. 2024

Suicide rates spiked, as did domestic violence, drug and alcohol abuse, and other such ailments. —Debra Utacia Krol, USA TODAY, 2 Sep. 2024

Some can also help with hormonal changes, stress, and other ailments. —Iman Balagam, Vogue, 2 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

ail entry 1 + -ment

First Known Use

1606, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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