Synonyms for disease
All synonyms
Noun
1. Illness — an abnormal condition of a human, animal or plant that causes discomfort or dysfunction; distinct from injury…
illness, malady, sickness, ailment, disorder, affliction, plague, indisposition, infirmity, pest, distemper, complaint, trouble, affection dated
Other
pestilence, endemic, uneasiness, unease, unhealthiness, dyscrasia rare, attainture dated
Definitions
- n. 1
An abnormal condition of a human, animal or plant that causes discomfort or dysfunction; distinct from injury insofar as the latter is usually instantaneously acquired.
The tomato plants had some kind of disease that left their leaves splotchy and their fruit withered.
Related words
Forms
- Plural
- diseases → illnesses, maladies, sicknesses, ailments…
Choose the right word
Disease is the general term for any deviation from health; in a more limited sense it denotes some definite morbid condition; disorder and affection are rather partial and limited; as, a nervous affection; a disorder of the digestive system.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- illness Tom attributed his failure in the exam to illness.
- sickness Her sickness, she is the only one afflicted by it.
- ailment The doctor said that this ailment is incurable.
- malady The doctor said that this malady is untreatable.
- endemic Algeria needs to eliminate its endemic corruption.
- pestilence Tom doesn't know the difference between pastry and pestilence.
By length
- 4 letters
- pest1
- 6 letters
- plague1, unease2, malady3
- 7 letters
- trouble2, illness2, endemic3, ailment2
- 8 letters
- disorder3, sickness2
- 9 letters
- complaint2, affection3, distemper3, infirmity4, dyscrasia
- 10 letters
- affliction3, pestilence3, uneasiness4, attainture
- 13 letters
- indisposition, unhealthiness
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (unease2 = 2 syllables).