Home British & World English sickness

Definition of sickness in English:

sickness

noun

mass noun

1The state of being ill.
‘she was absent through sickness’
as modifier ‘a sickness allowance’
- ‘Whether in sickness or in health, weakness or strength, every one is of infinite value before God and must be treated as such.’
- ‘People who can control their own diabetes save themselves a great deal of sickness.’
- ‘Pregnancy sickness, even severe sickness, is not associated with any harm to your baby.’
- ‘For doctors, the noises made by the body the heart, breath, and bowel sounds are clues to its health or sickness.’
- ‘Sixty-one years ago, they promised to love each other in sickness and health.’
- ‘Mine. I promised to care for her, in sickness and in health, and she promised not to die again without ample warning.’
- ‘He had made a vow to his wife, in sickness and in health.’
- ‘Further it would have been possible to ensure that there was some cover when one of the jobsharers was on holiday or absent on account of sickness.’
- ‘Undoubtedly, new genetics are set to enrich our knowledge of human behavior in sickness and in health.’
- ‘In sickness and in more sickness by the light of that wonderful bubble, the moon’
- ‘John looked deep into Anne's eyes as he promised to remain true through sickness and health.’
- ‘We are all being encouraged to make private provision for education, unemployment, sickness, health and retirement.’
- ‘You have a severe headache with fever, sickness and possibly a rash.’
- ‘They might get signs of sickness like headache, dizziness, faintness, weakness or a choking feeling.’
- ‘So football imitates life and the healthiest managerial marriages are those that stick together in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer.’
- ‘Just what does for better or for worse, in sickness and in health mean anyway?’
- ‘Her special interests include the role of the spiritual dimension in all kinds of healing, and the body-mind link in sickness and health.’
- ‘It used to be known as altitude sickness or tropical sickness, but it seems to be more and more prevalent.’
- ‘There are the usual migraine symptoms - headache, sickness, sensitivity to light, but there are no aura symptoms.’
- ‘They paid out sums to meet losses of earnings and health care expenses arising from sickness or injury at work.’
illness, disease, disorder, ailment, complaint, affliction, infection, malady, infirmity, indisposition
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1. 1.1often with adjective or noun modifier A particular type of illness or disease.
  ‘botulism causes fodder sickness of horses’
  count noun ‘a woman suffering an incurable sickness’
  ‘Antibiotics are strong medicines used to treat sicknesses called infections.’
  ‘During the conflict, frostbite, sun-burn, and other high-altitude sicknesses caused large numbers of casualties.’
  ‘Farmers living in fumigated areas complain of myriad sicknesses, including skin problems and birth defects.’
  ‘In the mountains, lots of fluid helps your body adjust to changing altitudes and prevents associated sicknesses, headaches, and pulmonary edema.’
  ‘Many a time I found myself aghast at some of the personal details these writers exposed about their lives - drug use, fighting sicknesses such as Cancer or AIDS or their revelations of family issues or other domestic crises.’
  ‘Between bearing children and enduring lingering sicknesses, Susanna was unable to do much to supplement his income.’
  ‘And you find you can't eliminate all the pests in the world, nor can you eliminate the pests in your own body, like cancers and other sicknesses.’
  ‘Nurses, doctors and management professionals are needed, particularly those with a background in foreign affairs, languages and tropical sicknesses.’
  ‘Dressed up as HIV / AIDS, a variety of old sicknesses have been reclassified.’
  ‘The unit also deals with more mundane sicknesses, like cases of diarrhea.’
  ‘If soldiers use improper or worn clothing for even a short time, the chance of developing altitude and cold-related sicknesses increases significantly.’
  ‘The British Medical Journal said recently a poll of its readers had identified almost 200 conditions that are not real sicknesses.’
  ‘Viruses are responsible for some minor sicknesses like colds or chickenpox as well as extremely serious diseases like smallpox or HIV / AIDS.’
  ‘Is this a consequence of sicknesses like AIDS and/or moral/sexual repression?’
  ‘Water-related diseases cause 80 percent of all the world's sicknesses, in the forms of hepatitis A, malaria, diarrhea, dysentery and schistosomiasis.’
  ‘Right here at home, ‘country’ people have a lot of bush remedies for various sicknesses.’
  ‘The demands for care that are reported are primarily visits to the doctor because of respiratory and digestive sicknesses and accidents.’
  ‘When it came to injuries and minor sicknesses, I trusted him with my life.’
  ‘Aging has always been the cause of many sicknesses, including arthritis.’
  ‘Europeans say use condoms, but there are sexual sicknesses that condoms cannot stop.’
2The feeling or fact of being affected with nausea or vomiting.
‘she felt a wave of sickness wash over her’
‘travel sickness’
- ‘They were very ill when they were born and suffered from sickness and diarrhoea.’
- ‘Tasting as bad as it looked it was hard to swallow and even then it hit his stomach hard washing waves of sickness through him.’
- ‘She is in her eighties, and suffering from sickness and diarrhoea.’
- ‘There are also more immediate benefits such as prevention of nausea and sickness caused by iron overload.’
- ‘A wave of sickness washed over Aydah as he realized that what she was saying was absolutely true.’
- ‘She said he had suffered sickness and diarrhoea the day before he died.’
- ‘The arrested man vomited up blood, not drugs, and suffered diarrhoea and sickness for a week following this incident.’
- ‘With this regimen, he had diarrhoea and sickness, and the acute attacks of gout continued.’
- ‘York District Hospital managers today appealed for visitors who have suffered sickness and diarrhoea to stay away from its grounds.’
- ‘Her problems started when young thirteen year old Ann was sent home from Clough House suffering sickness.’
- ‘Hepatitis A is a viral infection that causes fever, sickness, stomach pain, vomiting and eventually jaundice.’
- ‘Bites from snakes can also contain venom, causing the symptoms of diarrhoea and sickness.’
- ‘Lauren runs over to her mother and puts a hand to her mouth, hoping to stop the feeling of sickness that is washing over her.’
- ‘The tot had been suffering from sickness and a cold and had been closely watched by his parents throughout the night.’
- ‘All the children were suffering from sickness, vomiting and twitching.’
- ‘Just as she closed the door she felt a wave of sickness wash over her.’
- ‘There may also be nausea, sickness or diarrhoea, and a feeling of exhaustion.’
- ‘Now people who have suffered from diarrhoea or sickness within 48 hours of their intended visit to the hospital have been urged to stay away.’
- ‘A knock to the head can cause symptoms such as loss of consciousness, light-headedness, dizziness, nausea, and sickness.’
- ‘The fact that father's sickness was exacerbated if not caused by over-indulgence in Mekhong is neither here nor there.’
nausea, biliousness, queasiness
vomiting, retching, gagging, upset stomach, stomach upset
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