disease

noun

di-ˈzēz How to pronounce disease (audio)
Definition of diseasenext
as in illness
an abnormal state that disrupts a plant's or animal's normal bodily functioning they caught a rare disease while they were traveling in Africa and were sick for weeks

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 disease The doctor reached out to Michael Wilson, a leader in the field of metagenomics who works as a neuroinfectious-disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco. — Jason Liebowitz, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2026 That’s if none of the brains that were not examined showed signs of the disease. — Saad Yousuf, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026 Measles cases reach record high Measles cases in the United States have surpassed last year's total and are at their highest since the disease was eliminated from the country nearly three decades ago, according to CDC data. — Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026 The disease can spread through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes, according to the state’s Department of Public Health. — Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for disease
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disease
  1. illness
  2. ailment
  3. ill
  4. disorder
  5. fever
  6. condition
  7. sickness
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
  • Hospitals and medical practitioners could treat many ailments and save lives, but medications like insulin for diabetes and antibiotics for bacterial pneumonia didn’t exist.
    — Audrey Dutton, ProPublica, 25 Aug. 2026
  • On the other side of it, Zeek Biggers, who hasn’t played in either preseason game, has been dealing with a minor nagging ailment in recent weeks but is back now.
    — David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of ailment
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
  • Aaronson pointed to the second law of thermodynamics, which states that entropy, a measure of disorder, tends to increase over time.
    — Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Buprenorphine, semisynthetic opioid medication used primarily to treat opioid use disorder (OUD) and to manage severe chronic pain.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of disorder
Noun
  • The person recovered at home with symptoms of fever, cough and rash.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Symptoms can include high fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and a rash that often begins on the head and then spreads.
    — Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of fever
Noun
  • The comments were laid out in a two-page letter published via Telegram, as the country set its conditions for reopening the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz and touted the prospect of a return to diplomatic negotiations.
    — Sam Meredith,Lim Hui Jie,Mike Sheen, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Rather than just a reproductive issue, endometriosis is a whole-body condition, affecting everything from emotional regulation to hormone production and gut health.
    — Bella Webb, Vogue, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of condition
Noun
  • Looking up patients on Facebook or Instagram, seeing what their lives were like before sickness and death, can create emotional attachments that make a difficult job even harder.
    — Michael Collins, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Difficult interactions with the government intensify the sickness of sickness and the trauma of trauma.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of sickness

Phrases Containing disease

Browse Nearby Words

disdains
disease
diseased
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Cite this Entry

“Disease.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disease. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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