terminal illness

American  

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

Sometimes life-limiting illness

noun

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

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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

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

But behind the scenes this 27-year-old bride was dealing with terminal illness, made more stressful by a pensions struggle with her former employer.

From BBC • Feb. 1, 2026

In 2010, she was a finalist for the National Book Award for “So Much for That,” an empathetic account of a married couple facing terminal illness within a ruthless American health-care system.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 31, 2026

Like a person with a terminal illness, I was eager to ignore the immediate symptoms, hoping for a last-minute cure.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides