1
: a bodily disorder or chronic disease
a stomach ailment
2
: unrest, uneasiness
an emotional ailment
Synonyms
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
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Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens were both listed as full participants, which is huge news considering both were dealing with ailments leading into the NFC Championship game.
—
Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025
Details of the characters’ psychologies — Belle’s impulse to fake an ailment whenever she’s threatened, or Milla’s doubling down on pseudoscience to protect herself from facing mortality — are introduced, underlined, and then hammered over repeatedly.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 5 Feb. 2025
Injuries have been partially to blame as Kupp has dealt with ailments in each of the last three seasons.
—Jourdan Rodrigue, The Athletic, 4 Feb. 2025
Meanwhile, another common ailment, respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, may be abating.
—Lisa Schencker, Chicago Tribune, 3 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for ailment 
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Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025
Details of the characters’ psychologies — Belle’s impulse to fake an ailment whenever she’s threatened, or Milla’s doubling down on pseudoscience to protect herself from facing mortality — are introduced, underlined, and then hammered over repeatedly.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 5 Feb. 2025
Injuries have been partially to blame as Kupp has dealt with ailments in each of the last three seasons.
—Jourdan Rodrigue, The Athletic, 4 Feb. 2025
Meanwhile, another common ailment, respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, may be abating.
—Lisa Schencker, Chicago Tribune, 3 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for ailment
Dictionary Entries Near ailment
Cite this Entry
“Ailment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ailment. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
ailment
noun
ail·ment
ˈā(ə)l-mənt 
: a bodily disorder or chronic disease
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