CANCER Synonyms: 97 Similar and Opposite Words

cancer

noun

Definition of cancer

as in disease

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

as in lymphoma

Related Words

as in canker

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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 cancer Recently, her driver Jason Pirro spoke with In Touch and suggested that her battle with cancer wasn’t the sole factor in her passing—the March 2025 death of her husband, Carl Dean Thomas, also played a major role. — Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 9 Oct. 2026 His work, together with that of some others, launched modern cancer immunotherapy. — Robert C. Gallo, STAT, 9 Oct. 2026 Research shows that up to 10% of breast cancer patients were initially diagnosed with skin changes. — ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026 Ebony, a single mother of six who has breast cancer, needed longer-term help. — Nicole Santa Cruz, ProPublica, 9 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cancer

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cancer

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

Since then researchers have discovered that the Epstein-Barr virus, which is known to cause cancers such as nasal pharyngeal cancers and some forms of lymphoma, is also linked to some stomach cancers and some rarer lymphomas, Clifford says.

— Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 29 Sep. 2026
No cause of death was provided, but the outlet reported that Dasafo had been diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in 2010 before going into remission later that year.

— Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of lymphoma

Noun

Botryosphaeria canker and dieback are attributed to several causal agents in the Botryosphaeriaceae family.

— Emily Leahy, Hartford Courant, 7 Sep. 2026
Monitor for Pests and Disease Healthy plants are better at surviving heat stress than plants that are already weakened, so keep an eye on your tomato plants throughout the growing season for common pests, like tomato hornworm, and diseases, such as early or late blight, white mold, and canker.

— Samantha Johnson, Martha Stewart, 30 May 2026

Definition of canker

Noun

Up to 9 out of 10 people who are susceptible will get the virus if exposed, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
If they get infected with another type of dengue, the antibodies from the first infection may fail to neutralize the second type — and actually can help the virus enter immune cells and replicate.

— Mike Stobbe, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of virus

Noun

Merck and Moderna reported in August that adding their mRNA cancer vaccine to an existing treatment slowed the return and spread of melanoma.

— Allison DeAngelis, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026
The drug, combined with Merck’s Keytruda, met goals in more than 1,100 patients with higher-risk or advanced melanoma.

— Fred Imbert, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of melanoma

Noun

Radioisotope power systems convert heat from radioactive decay into electricity.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026
Conversely, modern concrete is subject to irreversible decay, a form of disintegration owing to its formation as a composite of cement and aggregate materials, such as gravel and sand.

— Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of decay

Noun

An avid runner and golfer fit and trim enough to pass for a man a decade younger, the silver-haired Claire was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in 2015 when what looked like a harmless spot on his lip turned out to be cancerous.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
After undergoing surgery to remove the testicle (an orchiectomy), Reeve discovered the mass was embryonal carcinoma.

— Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of carcinoma

Noun

The atmosphere persists even when the characters are off the air, as if to suggest that the seeping rot of the show has metastasized into every moment of their lives.

— Justin Chang, New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2026
The onset of rot is creeping closer and the meat may even begin to stink.

— Jack Hennessy, Outdoor Life, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of rot

Browse Nearby Words

cancels (out)

cancer

cancers

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Style

“Cancer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cancer. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of cancer

noun

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