1
: a bodily disorder or chronic disease
a stomach ailment
2
: unrest, uneasiness
an emotional ailment
Examples of ailment in a Sentence
She suffered from a chronic back ailment.
The doctor treated him for a variety of ailments.
Recent Examples on the Web
The division is responsible for screening and reviewing medical exams to determine whether there is evidence that coal miners have developed a respiratory ailment, commonly known as black lung disease.
—
Arkansas Online, 31 May 2025
There is a mounting pile of respected research on plenty of ailments.
—Lindsey Bartlett, Rolling Stone, 27 May 2025
Modern industrial operations are far cleaner than Chicago’s old mills and factories, which dumped toxic waste near low-income communities like the Altgeld Gardens public housing development, which Hazel Johnson resided in, leading to elevated rates of respiratory and cardiac ailments.
—Brian J. Rogal, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2025
But how soon can symptoms be attributed to a new pregnancy, rather than other ailments or conditions?
—Hannah Yasharoff, USA Today, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ailment
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Arkansas Online, 31 May 2025
There is a mounting pile of respected research on plenty of ailments.
—Lindsey Bartlett, Rolling Stone, 27 May 2025
Modern industrial operations are far cleaner than Chicago’s old mills and factories, which dumped toxic waste near low-income communities like the Altgeld Gardens public housing development, which Hazel Johnson resided in, leading to elevated rates of respiratory and cardiac ailments.
—Brian J. Rogal, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2025
But how soon can symptoms be attributed to a new pregnancy, rather than other ailments or conditions?
—Hannah Yasharoff, USA Today, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ailment
Cite this Entry
“Ailment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ailment. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
ailment
noun
ail·ment
ˈā(ə)l-mənt 
: a bodily disorder or chronic disease
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