- a disease or indisposition; sickness
- a state of ill health
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
ill•ness /ˈɪlnɪs/USA pronunciation
n.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Pathology poor health;
sickness:[uncountable]He retired early because of illness. - an example of such poor health:[countable]an illness that can't be treated.
ill•ness
(il′nis),USA pronunciation n.
- unhealthy condition;
poor health;
indisposition;
sickness. - [Obs.]wickedness.
- ill + -ness 1490–1500
- 1. . ailment, affliction, infirmity.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
illness /ˈɪlnɪs/ n
'illness' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
act on
- aegrotat
- aftercare
- ailment
- alienist
- anxiety
- bed
- bedridden
- bout
- Breuer
- bulletin
- care
- clinical psychology
- comedown
- come through
- complain
- convalesce
- convalescence
- corner
- course
- crazy
- decompression sickness
- develop
- disability
- disease
- do with
- down
- dramatize
- euthanasia
- euthanize
- evil
- exogenous
- fake
- flare-up
- food poisoning
- get about
- get over
- grand mal
- help
- Hendra
- Henry VI
- hit
- hoarse
- housebound
- hypochondria
- iatrogenic
- injury list
- insidious
- intractable
- abortion