1
: a bodily disorder or chronic disease
a stomach ailment
2
: unrest, uneasiness
an emotional ailment
Examples of ailment in a Sentence
She suffered from a chronic back ailment.
The doctor treated him for a variety of ailments.
Recent Examples on the Web
From Colds to Cancer Heal Faster moves from everyday acute ailments — the common cold, urinary tract infections, sprains — through chronic conditions like asthma, gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD), eczema and diabetes and on to preparing for surgery as well as surgical recovery.
—
Jesse Pines, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
Indicators can be so subtle and nonspecific that doctors tend to misattribute them to other, more common, ailments—which can delay diagnosis, sometimes for years.
—Nami Mun, The Atlantic, 16 May 2026
The rotation has been marvelous from the get-go despite its ailments.
—Gabriel Burns, AJC.com, 15 May 2026
The registry of ailments that are included in the bill was also expanded to include lupus, autism, Stage III HIV, severe Alzheimer's disease, and inflammatory bowel disease.
—Irene Wright, USA Today, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for ailment
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Jesse Pines, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
Indicators can be so subtle and nonspecific that doctors tend to misattribute them to other, more common, ailments—which can delay diagnosis, sometimes for years.
—Nami Mun, The Atlantic, 16 May 2026
The rotation has been marvelous from the get-go despite its ailments.
—Gabriel Burns, AJC.com, 15 May 2026
The registry of ailments that are included in the bill was also expanded to include lupus, autism, Stage III HIV, severe Alzheimer's disease, and inflammatory bowel disease.
—Irene Wright, USA Today, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for ailment
Cite this Entry
“Ailment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ailment. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
ailment
noun
ail·ment
ˈā(ə)l-mənt 
: a bodily disorder or chronic disease
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