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 In determining whether to reimburse treatment for such ailments, insurers turn to Food and Drug Administration labels and expert guidelines. — Arthur Allen, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026 Ibogaine is a naturally occurring psychedelic that comes from the root bark of the Central West African shrub Tabernanthe iboga, which can help treat addiction, among other ailments, per Stanford Medicine. — Becca Longmire, PEOPLE, 21 Sep. 2026 Eleven gullible idiots were talked into acquitting because of an imaginary female ailment. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 20 Sep. 2026 Four brothers later died from ailments that stemmed from the war. — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 19 Sep. 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
  • Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia are difficult to study, in part because diagnosing the disease early in people is challenging.
    — Julie Moreno, The Conversation, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Younger demographics are being diagnosed with increasing cases of colon cancer, and people of color face disproportionately higher mortality rates from the disease.
    — Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of disease
Noun
  • Authorities have said Ervebo could offer some protection against Bundibugyo, but whether the vaccine can actually prevent illness is still being studied.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Blanchard has said her mother abused her for years and forced her to fake serious illnesses.
    — Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of illness
Noun
  • In the story, the duck doesn’t make it, and the now-ill patient didn’t wear any gloves while handling it.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The game’s maker, Paolo Pedercini, has long diagnosed the ills of modern capitalism through countercultural video games like Phone Story (2011), which depicted the exploitative supply chain of a smartphone.
    — Lewis Gordon, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of ill
Noun
  • Hurricane conditions are expected within the Hurricane Warning area Friday night into early Saturday, with tropical storm conditions beginning on Friday.
    — MIAMI HERALD HURRICANE BOT, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2026
  • With top talent more sought-after and mobile than ever before, Sweden creates conditions that attract and retain the best inventors.
    — Jan Larsson, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of condition
Noun
  • Contact the treating clinician promptly for worsening pain, spreading redness or warmth, pus-like drainage, fever, extensive blistering, eye symptoms, or a reaction substantially more severe than described.
    — Malana VanTyler, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Duale said the patient had symptoms including fever, chills, fatigue, weakness, muscle pain, sore throat and painful swallowing.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of fever
Noun
  • Even the pancreas of a character’s unseen wife, the sickness in which AIG promises to double back and cure if only everyone keeps hurtling forward.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 6 Oct. 2026
  • From sickness and ennui came the writing of an algorithm that would solve the underlying mathematics of the bomb.
    — Artforum, Artforum, 28 Sep. 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 9 Oct. 2026.

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