1
a
: ill health : illness
b
: a disordered, weakened, or unsound condition
2
: a specific disease
3
: nausea, queasiness
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
Any cat can develop a sickness or dental problems, but having a baseline can alleviate anxieties and can empower you to work with your vet to make the best life choices for your cat.
—
Medea Giordano, WIRED, 11 Apr. 2024
Look it up by your ZIP code Is 'eclipse sickness' real?
—Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 8 Apr. 2024
Meningococcal disease refers to any sickness caused by Neisseria meningitidis.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 29 Mar. 2024
Enduring even low levels of simulator sickness could impact people’s quality of life, activity level and productivity—which is one reason Bailenson worries that people might try to rely on these devices for their day-to-day work.
—Lauren Leffer, Scientific American, 21 Feb. 2024
Most investors remember the doom and gloom of March 2020—negative headlines about lockdowns, sickness and death, and falling markets.
—Wes Moss, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
After enduring storms, sickness and a shipwreck, the surviving crew members of HMS Wager turn against each other.
—Becky Meloan, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024
People with eating disorders—whose illnesses do not fit the incredibly narrow narrative of sickness and recovery promulgated by our media and medical establishments—have been condescended to, called crazy, mocked, and maligned.
—Hannah Dylan Pasternak, SELF, 25 Mar. 2024
In 2023, Barca planned to play Juventus in the San Francisco 49ers' Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara only for that match to be cancelled because of a sickness outbreak among the squad.
—Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
Medea Giordano, WIRED, 11 Apr. 2024
Look it up by your ZIP code Is 'eclipse sickness' real?
—Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 8 Apr. 2024
Meningococcal disease refers to any sickness caused by Neisseria meningitidis.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 29 Mar. 2024
Enduring even low levels of simulator sickness could impact people’s quality of life, activity level and productivity—which is one reason Bailenson worries that people might try to rely on these devices for their day-to-day work.
—Lauren Leffer, Scientific American, 21 Feb. 2024
Most investors remember the doom and gloom of March 2020—negative headlines about lockdowns, sickness and death, and falling markets.
—Wes Moss, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
After enduring storms, sickness and a shipwreck, the surviving crew members of HMS Wager turn against each other.
—Becky Meloan, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024
People with eating disorders—whose illnesses do not fit the incredibly narrow narrative of sickness and recovery promulgated by our media and medical establishments—have been condescended to, called crazy, mocked, and maligned.
—Hannah Dylan Pasternak, SELF, 25 Mar. 2024
In 2023, Barca planned to play Juventus in the San Francisco 49ers' Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara only for that match to be cancelled because of a sickness outbreak among the squad.
—Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sickness.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near sickness
Cite this Entry
“Sickness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sickness. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sickness
noun
sick·ness
ˈsik-nəs 
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