ailment

noun

ˈāl-mənt How to pronounce ailment (audio)
Definition of ailmentnext
as in disease
an abnormal state that disrupts a plant's or animal's normal bodily functioning a doctor known for successfully treating patients with chronic back ailments

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ailment Paulson Adebo seemingly won’t be available Saturday, although Harbaugh called him a game-time decision with an undisclosed ailment. — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 14 Aug. 2026 Hafley said after the game Brooks was dealing with a minor ailment and needed the day off. — David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 14 Aug. 2026 The ailment was first detected in Monroe County in late June and spread to 70 counties, with Southeast Michigan bearing the heaviest burden. — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026 This wasn’t a guy who looked the part of a pending heart ailment. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ailment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ailment
  1. disease
  2. illness
  3. ill
  4. condition
  5. fever
  6. sickness
Noun
  • Those enrolled have experienced CLBP due to degenerative disc disease (DDD) for less than five years.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Prices of the precious commodity have swung dramatically from one season to the next, particularly as issues such as climate change, water scarcity and pest and disease pressures persist.
    — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of disease
Noun
  • Later, a fellow resident gave him a house, and neighbors supported him, especially during his final two years of illness.
    — Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Those memories of Keegan chasing, Keegan scoring, Keegan leading 1970s Liverpool across England and Europe to trophy upon trophy were clattered by 2026 reports of his illness and death.
    — Michael Walker, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of illness
Noun
  • Alex Pantling/Getty Images What is clear is that no one thinks the changes enacted in either the Championship or League One are a resolution to the EFL’s marked financial ills.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Blaming billionaire wealth-hoarding for America’s ills would poll very well among the nation’s anthropology departments.
    — Gilad Edelman, The Atlantic, 19 July 2026
Definition of ill
Noun
  • His brother had been born with a congenital condition and did not have a left hand.
    — Allie Torgan, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Advocates for Baltimore's homeless community are calling on Maryland's General Assembly to investigate living conditions at several hotels the city purchased and turned into shelters.
    — Mike Hellgren, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of condition
Noun
  • Told in alternating POVs between a sorceress, a woman knight and a serving girl, this is a fever dream of a fantasy novel with plenty of room for readers to make their own inferences about what’s really going on.
    — S.M. Hallow, PEOPLE, 18 Aug. 2026
  • If the infection enters the bloodstream, symptoms also can include fever, chills, low blood pressure and blistering skin lesions.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of fever
Noun
  • And soon, the virus would also cross borders, triggering food insecurity, widespread sickness, and mass casualties around the world.
    — Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
  • After months of constant sickness, simply existing without nausea felt almost surreal.
    — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of sickness

Browse Nearby Words

ailing
ailment
ailments
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Cite this Entry

“Ailment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ailment. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on ailment

Nglish: Translation of ailment for Spanish Speakers

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