terminal illness

American  

[tur-muh-nl il-nis] / ˈtɜr mə nl ˈɪl nɪs /

Sometimes life-limiting illness

noun

terminal illnesses plural

1. a disease or condition that cannot be cured and will almost certainly lead to death.

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• terminal illnesses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of terminal illness

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

Jurisdictions that initially limit assisted suicide to terminal illness face pressure to expand access to chronic conditions or psychological suffering.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

This comes as MSPs in Scotland prepare to vote on their own assisted dying bill on Tuesday, that would allow mentally competent adults with a terminal illness to seek medical help to end their lives.

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026

Some 20,000 adults and children affected by terminal illness receive support from hospices each year and Welsh hospices have 95 inpatient beds, although some might not be in use because of funding and staffing.

From BBC • Feb. 3, 2026

This time her 343rd “charge” is a hapless 87-year old CEO oil tycoon K. J. Boone unwilling to pass over from the “baffling country” of terminal illness toward its “inevitable occurrence.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 26, 2026

I think most people with a terminal illness have struggled with this.

From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott