SICKNESS Synonyms: 102 Similar and Opposite Words

sickness

noun

ˈsik-nəs

Definition of sickness

as in illness

the condition of not being in good health she was plagued by sickness most of her adult life

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in disease

an abnormal state that disrupts a plant or animal's normal bodily functioning a sickness that resulted in the death of millions of the nation's elm trees

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in nausea

a disturbed condition of the stomach in which one feels like vomiting the sickness that many women feel during the early months of a pregnancy

Synonyms & Similar 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 sickness At the end of the day, both doctors agree that hotel stays shouldn’t deter people from traveling altogether, since there are always ways to proactively minimize exposure and subsequent sicknesses. — Joey Skladany, Travel + Leisure, 30 June 2026 Additionally, people who overexert during work or exercise may become dehydrated and susceptible to heat sickness. — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 29 June 2026 Though minor gastrointestinal discomfort is the most common symptom of exposure, pathogens that may cause only minor sickness in some people may cause serious conditions or death in the very young, old, or those with weakened immune systems. — Christopher Edwards, PEOPLE, 19 June 2026 Some, Mute said, suggested that the spreading sickness was tuberculosis, AIDS or even mercury poisoning — from the chemical that miners use to extract gold from ore. — Emmet Livingstone, NPR, 24 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for sickness

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sickness

Noun

If anyone shows signs of heat illness, promptly move them to a cool, shaded area.

— NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 5 July 2026
Despite some athletes reporting illness afterward, no clear link to the water was confirmed, and the century-long psychological barrier to bathing in the Seine was finally broken.

— Camille Knight, CNN Money, 4 July 2026

Definition of illness

Noun

The shipment includes emergency health kits for urgent medical care, including supplies for safe births, newborn care, disease prevention and treatment, according to the United Nations.

— Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2026
The rabies vaccine, if administered immediately after exposure, is nearly 100% successful at preventing the disease, according to the World Health Organization.

— Kelli Arseneau, USA Today, 1 July 2026

Definition of disease

Noun

The women wanted physicians who were disease preventers, and doctors who were attentive to the difficulties wrought by menopause, which have been increasingly found to leave women vulnerable to other ailments.

— Melanie Thernstrom, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
Imaging this week showed Brown has a stress reaction in his neck, which was in the same spot as his 2024 ailment that ultimately had been diagnosed as an osteoma (benign bone tumor).

— Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 27 June 2026

Definition of ailment

Noun

Hualde says that some Pamplona residents rue his early promotion of the festival due to the ills of overtourism the sleepy provincial city is now experiencing.

— ABC News, ABC News, 6 July 2026
That’s actually the theme of an essay that Masha Gessen, who writes often about Russia and its many ills, has asked.

— Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026

Definition of ill

Noun

Symptoms of cyclosporiasis occur between two days and two weeks after exposure, and include frequent watery diarrhea, loss of appetite and weight, abdominal cramps and bloating, nausea and low-grade fever.

— Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 30 June 2026
Monroe County health officials say symptoms occur two to 14 days after exposure and include frequent watery diarrhea, loss of appetite and weight, cramps and bloating, nausea and low-grade fever.

— DeJanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 30 June 2026

Definition of fever

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sickly

sickness

sicknesses

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Style

“Sickness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sickness. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of sickness

noun

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