convalescent

American  

[kon-vuh-les-uhnt] / ˌkɒn vəˈlɛs ənt /

adjective

1. convalescing.

2. of or relating to convalescence or convalescing persons.

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noun

1. a person who is convalescing.

Other Word Forms

• convalescently adverb
• postconvalescent adjective

Etymology

Origin of convalescent

1650–60; < Latin convalēscent- (stem of convalēscēns ), present participle of convalēscere to convalesce; -ent

Example Sentences

Born in Helsinki, Schjerfbeck permanently injured her hip in a childhood fall and apparently began to draw as a convalescent.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 3, 2026

Aultmore was later used as World War Two convalescent hospital and a finishing school owned by a New Zealand-born spy who survived imprisonment in Colditz.

From BBC • Dec. 7, 2023

She bounced around, from LA’s notorious Skid Row to various convalescent homes while her daughter lived at a shelter.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 20, 2023

The dearth of drugs available for patients with compromised immune systems has renewed interest in convalescent plasma, an old-school version of antibody therapy first explored in the opening days of the pandemic.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 27, 2023

I was to have three weeks’ convalescent leave and then return to the front.

From "A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway