disease

American  

[dih-zeez] / dɪˈziz /

noun

1. a disordered or incorrectly functioning organ, part, structure, or system of the body resulting from the effect of genetic or developmental errors, infection, poisons, nutritional deficiency or imbalance, toxicity, or unfavorable environmental factors; illness; sickness; ailment.

   Synonyms:

   malady, disorder, infirmity, indisposition, distemper, derangement, complaint, morbidity

   Antonyms:

   health

2. any abnormal condition in a plant that interferes with its vital physiological processes, caused by pathogenic microorganisms, parasites, unfavorable environmental, genetic, or nutritional factors, etc.

3. any harmful, depraved, or morbid condition, as of the mind or society.

   His fascination with executions is a disease.

4. decomposition of a material under special circumstances.

   tin disease.

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verb (used with object)

diseased, diseasing

1. to affect with disease; make ill.

   Antonyms:

   cure

disease British  

/ dɪˈziːz /

noun

1. any impairment of normal physiological function affecting all or part of an organism, esp a specific pathological change caused by infection, stress, etc, producing characteristic symptoms; illness or sickness in general

2. a corresponding condition in plants

3. any situation or condition likened to this

   the disease of materialism

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Other Word Forms

• diseasedly adverb
• diseasedness noun

Etymology

Origin of disease

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English disese, from Anglo-French dese(a)se, disaise; dis- ¹ + ease

Example Sentences

The dataset included healthy individuals as well as people diagnosed with 13 different diseases, including Crohn's disease, colorectal cancer, Parkinson's disease, and multiple sclerosis.

From Science Daily

Long-term loneliness can have damaging health consequences and has been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and dementia in later life.

From BBC

Two-thirds of Santé’s investments are in biotech and medtech startups, whose drugs and devices seek to beat back the biological causes of disease.

From The Wall Street Journal

His comedy career has often incorporated his lived experience with a rare blood-clotting disease called Factor V Leiden that almost killed him.

From Los Angeles Times

Many people use them in hopes of lowering inflammation and reducing the risk of chronic diseases.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• Cancer
• bug
• condition
• contamination
• defect
• disorder
• epidemic
• fever
• flu
• illness
• infection
• inflammation
• malady
• plague
• sickness
• stroke
• syndrome
• virus