sickness

American  

[sik-nis] / ˈsɪk nɪs /

noun

1. a particular disease or malady.

2. the state or an instance of being sick; illness.

3. nausea; queasiness.

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sickness British  

/ ˈsɪknɪs /

noun

1. an illness or disease

2. nausea or queasiness

3. the state or an instance of being sick

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Etymology

Origin of sickness

before 1000; Middle English siknesse, seknesse, Old English sēocnesse. See sick ¹, -ness

Compare meaning

How does sickness compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• sickness vs. illness

Example Sentences

Those prone to motion sickness — and I am one of them — likely need not be too concerned here.

From Los Angeles Times

I could hear terrible sounds of sickness all around me.

From Literature

That’s when Ms. Nichter, who is Jewish, observed passengers around her ripping apart their Israeli passports, stuffing the larger scraps into sickness bags while chewing and swallowing the smaller pieces.

From The Wall Street Journal

Its professed goal is to prevent sickness that hurts our economic interests and overall wellbeing.

From Salon

Short of solving for sickness and death, caregivers were strongly in favor of solutions that provided more resources to them.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• ailment
• disease
• disorder
• ill health
• illness
• infirmity
• malady
• nausea
• syndrome