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
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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
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Recent Examples of illness
Nearly 1,000 cruise passengers on multiple ships got sick from a gastrointestinal illness outbreak after setting sail in December, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 9 Jan. 2025
Afif El-Hasan, a pediatrician in Orange County, California, sees more patients with respiratory illnesses such as asthma during wildfire season.
—Ignacio Calderon, USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2025
Last week, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention released its sentinel respiratory illness surveillance data collected in the last week of December.
—Ars Technica, 8 Jan. 2025
The 13-category scale is based on the percentage of doctor's visits that were for influenza-like illnesses (ILIs) in the previous week.
—Ars Technica, 23 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for illness 
Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 9 Jan. 2025
Afif El-Hasan, a pediatrician in Orange County, California, sees more patients with respiratory illnesses such as asthma during wildfire season.
—Ignacio Calderon, USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2025
Last week, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention released its sentinel respiratory illness surveillance data collected in the last week of December.
—Ars Technica, 8 Jan. 2025
The 13-category scale is based on the percentage of doctor's visits that were for influenza-like illnesses (ILIs) in the previous week.
—Ars Technica, 23 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for illness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illness
Noun
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Some people have trouble absorbing this vitamin due to disease, gastric surgery, or medication.Sohaib Imtiaz, Verywell Health, 11 Jan. 2025
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This can lead to detrimental long-term health effects, such as triggering chronic conditions such as asthma as well as obstructive lung disease like bronchitis.Omer Awan, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Highly pathogenic avian influenza can infect domestic poultry, resulting in high sickness and death rates, officials said, and in this current outbreak, cattle, cats and other mammals also are susceptible.Chuck Fieldman, Chicago Tribune, 7 Jan. 2025
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Some damages are tax-free under Section 104 of the tax code, but only physical injuries and physical sickness qualify.Robert W. Wood, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Summary Celery has been used throughout history as a folk medicine to relieve many ailments.Hannah Coakley, MSPH, RDN, Verywell Health, 15 Jan. 2025
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Most common ailments aren’t connected to a single gene; polygenic risk scores aim to predict the lifetime likelihood of conditions, such as diabetes, in which many genes contribute to a person’s risk.Kristen V. Brown, The Atlantic, 15 Jan. 2025
Noun
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At the center of these ills stands the island’s relationship with the mainland.Graciela Mochkofsky, The New Yorker, 8 Jan. 2025
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The strict binary of this is man, this is woman has been responsible for a lot of ills.Lanna Apisukh, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Before departure, during an unexpected night apart, vaccine side effects strike —fevers, fainting and hallucinations.Leo Barraclough, Variety, 9 Jan. 2025
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On Tuesday, January 7, the 40-year-old former Fashion Police co-host took to her Instagram Story to share her health struggles, revealing a 100-degree fever.Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 9 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Illness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illness. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
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