disease
Americannoun
-
diseases
plural
-
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
-
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.
-
any harmful, depraved, or morbid condition, as of the mind or society.
His fascination with executions is a disease.
-
decomposition of a material under special circumstances.
tin disease.
verb (used with object)
noun
-
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
-
a corresponding condition in plants
-
any situation or condition likened to this
the disease of materialism
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of disease
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English disese, from Anglo-French dese(a)se, disaise; dis- 1 + ease
Explanation
A disease is a health condition that has a specific set of symptoms and traits — such as malaria or heart disease. Disease is not always about the human body being sick. Plants and animals are often the victims of disease. People also use the word disease in a more figurative sense to illustrate just how bad or damaging a negative influence can be — like the disease of greed among capitalists or the disease of plagiarism among college students.
Vocabulary lists containing disease
Ecology - Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems - Introductory
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Ecology - Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems - Middle School and High School
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Workshop 5, Part 1
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
That gives the disease a high potential for an epidemic spread or even a global pandemic, but health officials have cautioned we have a long way to go to get to that point.
From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026
Plague is a bacterial disease that can occur in several forms, including pneumonic plague, which is the most contagious type and can be transmitted by respiratory means.
From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026
The Japanese drugmaker said IntraBio’s expertise would strengthen capabilities across its rare disease pipeline.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
He added: "But of course people's thought with any outbreak of infectious disease at all runs to... lockdowns and Covid and that is just not what's going to happen here."
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
“The germs of the disease are numerous in the mucous secretions,” M. M. C. writes.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Russian authorities are investigating the death of a woman who worked at a Siberian institute for infectious diseases and have placed her contacts under close medical observation as they try to determine how she died.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
Reduced TET enzyme activity is a common feature in some blood cancers, prompting researchers to investigate whether vitamin C supplements might benefit people at risk of developing these diseases.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 3, 2026
He was interested, Berry says, in "developing skills that would maybe at a later point allow him to cure various diseases."
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
If voters approve the measure, $7.5 billion in bonds would fund California scientific and medical research into diseases such as cancer, Parkinson’s and ALS.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
When an epidemic of mumps broke out in the school, Katie went into action against communicable diseases.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
He is also concerned about unregulated nurseries selling unidentified, or diseased plants.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
Those changes were even more pronounced in diseased livers.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 3, 2026
Eventually, they hope to compare circulation patterns between healthy and diseased brains, as well as between younger and older brains.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026
In particular, they’re examining how bacteria from diseased gums, and the immune response they trigger, may contribute to conditions including heart disease, diabetes, cognitive decline, arthritis, respiratory disease and chronic liver disease.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
The words dead, diseased, or dying are supposed to describe the cows, but they’re so far from home that they seem to describe the reporters.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
In either case we have diabetes, the sugar irritating and diseasing the kidneys as it passes.”
From Alcohol: A Dangerous and Unnecessary Medicine, How and Why What Medical Writers Say by Martha Meir Allen
They provide for your wants, hearken to your complaints, nurture you in sickness, with a diseasing fondness, and so render you incapable.
From Charlemont; Or, the Pride of the Village. a Tale of Kentucky by William Gilmore Simms
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
