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
While Bright Lights is a clinically sound and narratively solid depiction of a sickness, this movie adaptation lacks the novel’s deliciously acerbic descriptions of New York’s sick social scene as well as its protagonist’s self-aware commentaries.
—
Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 1 Apr. 2026
Cornwell makes the sickness more literal still.
—Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
Take, for example, radiation, which with moderate exposures can increase an astronaut’s long-term risk of cancer and with heavy doses can cause acute sickness.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 31 Mar. 2026
This is my husband, through sickness and health.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sickness
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 1 Apr. 2026
Cornwell makes the sickness more literal still.
—Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
Take, for example, radiation, which with moderate exposures can increase an astronaut’s long-term risk of cancer and with heavy doses can cause acute sickness.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 31 Mar. 2026
This is my husband, through sickness and health.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sickness
Cite this Entry
“Sickness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sickness. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sickness
noun
sick·ness
ˈsik-nəs 
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
