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
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Ecology - Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems - Middle School and High School
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Workshop 5, Part 1
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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 result may be especially important because women account for nearly two-thirds of people living with Alzheimer's disease.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2026
Researchers say additional studies are needed to determine whether it offers a better strategy for preventing cardiovascular disease.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2026
Poultry remained largely unchanged, as steady international demand offset ample supplies, with Brazilian exports holding up despite trade restrictions following Newcastle disease outbreaks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
"If we can slow down aging in the brain for those people most at risk, maybe we can reduce the risk of them developing Alzheimer's disease."
From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2026
Dr. Eloesser specializes in tuberculosis, but Joey takes every opportunity to educate him about Hansen’s disease.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
But the situation has also "created inequalities" in the funding and support available for different diseases, she believes.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
Around 71,000 people in England are diagnosed each year with pancreatic, stomach, liver, ovarian or bowel cancer, and nearly 35,000 die from these diseases.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
The situation becomes considerably more complicated when the same technology is used against common diseases.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026
The promises are grandiose: Anthropic’s chief executive said artificial intelligence could cure most human diseases within a decade.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026
They shared a single piece of soap with other prisoners, including those with open sores and diseases such as tuberculosis and syphilis.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
Plants are ruthless in shedding those that are damaged or diseased or that they can no longer maintain, for instance during dry weather.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
The first starts with terror of the unknown and unseen but culminates in sheer pathos; the latter keeps the reader guessing: Is the creature real or merely the product of a diseased imagination?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Cells in the diseased livers had started moving away from their mature state and toward the regenerative state, but they were unable to finish the transition.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 31, 2026
He removed the tumour and part of the diseased jawbone, but the electrochemotherapy was administered to target any remaining cancerous cells.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
“Many of our oldest family trees become a little diseased over time,” he said as Bellatrix gazed at him, breathless and imploring.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
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
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
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
