sickness

noun

sick·​ness ˈsik-nəs 

1

a

: ill health : illness

b

: a disordered, weakened, or unsound condition

2

: a specific disease

3

: nausea, queasiness

Synonyms

• illness
• indisposition
• unhealthiness
• unsoundness

Examples of sickness in a Sentence

He died from an unknown sickness.

she was plagued by sickness most of her adult life

Recent Examples on the Web

The family, with their lawsuit, seeks an unspecified amount in damages for physical sickness, pain and injuries, including for PTSD and associated symptoms caused by the raid, the complaint shows. —Julia Marnin, Sacramento Bee, 26 Feb. 2025

During their sickness, Vanessa and her daughter were in bed together watching a slew of romantic comedies. —Kayla Grant, People.com, 25 Feb. 2025

Beachings can occur for a variety of reasons including navigation errors, sickness, old age, injury, bad weather and hunting too close to shore. —Carl Zhang, NBC News, 19 Feb. 2025

First-person accounts from Indiana State Treasurer Samuel Merrill and his family tell the tale of a challenging two-week trek marred by weather, sickness and inconsistent lodging along the way. —Justin L. MacK, Axios, 12 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing sickness

• acute mountain sickness
• African sleeping sickness
• altitude sickness
• decompression sickness
• milk sickness
• morning sickness
• motion sickness
• mountain sickness
• radiation sickness
• serum sickness
• sickness benefit
• sleeping sickness
• travel sickness

Rhymes for sickness

• quickness
• thickness
• homesickness
• seasickness

Kids Definition

sickness

noun

sick·​ness ˈsik-nəs 

1

: ill health : illness

2

: a specific disease : malady

3

: nausea sense 1

Medical Definition

sickness

noun

sick·​ness ˈsik-nəs 

1

: the condition of being ill : ill health

2

: a specific disease

3

: nausea