1
a
b
: an unhealthy condition of body or mind
2
Examples of illness in a Sentence
Her body was not able to defend itself against illness.
Hundreds of soldiers died from illness and hunger.
He showed no signs of illness.
Scientists have not yet found a cure for this illness.
cancer, diabetes, and other illnesses
She died at the age of 60 after a brief illness.
Recent Examples on the Web
With Alzheimer’s, a lot of people have this illness.
—
Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026
In Fennell’s film, Cathy still gets pregnant and dies of her illness, but the baby does not survive.
—Ellise Shafer, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026
But the launch of a mass drug administration program has allowed the country to treat around 100 million people for NTDs annually since 2019, The END Fund found, with the disease burden for some illnesses reducing by as much as 72%.
—Paige Bruton, semafor.com, 13 Feb. 2026
Now, those vaccines, which researchers estimate have prevented thousands of deaths and millions of illnesses, are recommended by the CDC only for children at high risk of serious illness or after consultation between doctors and parents.
—Amanda Seitz, NPR, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for illness
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Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026
In Fennell’s film, Cathy still gets pregnant and dies of her illness, but the baby does not survive.
—Ellise Shafer, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026
But the launch of a mass drug administration program has allowed the country to treat around 100 million people for NTDs annually since 2019, The END Fund found, with the disease burden for some illnesses reducing by as much as 72%.
—Paige Bruton, semafor.com, 13 Feb. 2026
Now, those vaccines, which researchers estimate have prevented thousands of deaths and millions of illnesses, are recommended by the CDC only for children at high risk of serious illness or after consultation between doctors and parents.
—Amanda Seitz, NPR, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for illness
Cite this Entry
“Illness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/illness. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
illness
noun
ill·ness
ˈil-nəs 
1
: an unhealthy condition of body or mind
2
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