Disease: meaning, definitions and examples

Used for more serious and often chronic health conditions that are scientifically identified.

• The disease affected her liver.
• Vaccines have been developed for many infectious diseases.

A general term for any health condition that affects the body or mind.

• His illness kept him in bed for two weeks.
• Mental illness should be treated with the same concern as physical illness.

Often used in everyday conversation to describe feeling unwell physically, also can imply nausea.

• She called in sick due to her sickness.
• Motion sickness can make travel very uncomfortable.

Used for minor or less severe health issues, often temporary.

• She visited the doctor for a minor ailment.
• Common ailments include the common cold and headaches.

Typically used in a medical or scientific context to describe a specific condition that negatively affects the body or mind.

• She was diagnosed with a rare heart disease.
• Researchers are working on cures for various diseases.

Used to describe something that causes pain, suffering, or distress. It has a broader scope and can refer to physical, mental, or emotional hardships.

• He endured the affliction of chronic pain for many years.
• Her affliction was a deep sense of loss.

Historically refers to a specific and severe contagious disease like the bubonic plague. It can also be used metaphorically to describe something that causes significant problems or suffering on a large scale.

• The village was devastated by the plague.
• The city was plagued by crime and corruption.

Describes something that causes great pain, misery, or destruction, often on a widespread level. It is typically used in a more dramatic or literary context.

• Poverty is a scourge that affects many nations.
• The scourge of war left the region in ruins.