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
It was eventually revealed that the elder Blanchard had abused her daughter via Munchausen syndrome by proxy, which sees a caretaker inducing or embellishing elements of their dependent's ailments to garner sympathy or financial gain.
—
EW.com, 4 June 2024
Becoming the eighth Giants player to land on the IL in the past two weeks, Winn’s ailment is believed to be mild, according to president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 17 May 2024
Blackmon missed three games in mid-April with a stomach ailment that spread through the Rockies clubhouse.
—Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post, 7 May 2024
Over the years, Beethoven consulted many doctors, trying treatment after treatment for his ailments and his deafness, but found no relief.
—Gina Kolata, New York Times, 6 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for ailment 
EW.com, 4 June 2024
Becoming the eighth Giants player to land on the IL in the past two weeks, Winn’s ailment is believed to be mild, according to president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 17 May 2024
Blackmon missed three games in mid-April with a stomach ailment that spread through the Rockies clubhouse.
—Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post, 7 May 2024
Over the years, Beethoven consulted many doctors, trying treatment after treatment for his ailments and his deafness, but found no relief.
—Gina Kolata, New York Times, 6 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for ailment
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ailment.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near ailment
Cite this Entry
“Ailment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ailment. Accessed 7 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
ailment
noun
ail·ment
ˈā(ə)l-mənt 
: a bodily disorder or chronic disease
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