sickness

sickness — noun

1. the state when your body or mind is not working normally because of a disease, i

1.nounA2
Definition

the state when your body or mind is not working normally because of a disease, infection, or other health problem

Example

Felipe missed three weeks of work after a serious sickness put him in hospital.

sickness + due to + cause phrase

The new insurance policy covers both sickness and injury for all full-time employees.

uncountable: covers sickness and injury

Common collocations
  • suffer from sickness
  • cause of sickness
  • sickness and injury
  • common sickness
  • serious sickness
  • prolonged sickness
  • sickness absence
Synonyms
  • illness

    more general and can be used in formal or medical contexts; 'sickness' is slightly more informal and often implies a stomach-related or temporary condition

  • ill health

    more formal and often refers to a long-term or chronic condition

Antonyms
  • health

    the state of being free from illness or injury

  • wellness

    emphasises active good health and preventive care

Grammar Patterns

sickness + of + noun phrase

compound: [cause/type] + sickness

Usage Note

Often used as an uncountable noun. 'Sickness' is more common than 'illness' in everyday speech when referring to specific symptoms such as a stomach upset or head cold. The word also appears frequently in fixed compounds like 'travel sickness' and 'morning sickness'.

Common Mistakes

He has a sickness called asthma.
He has a condition called asthma.
For a named medical condition, 'disease' or 'condition' is more natural than 'sickness'.
I have many sicknesses this winter.
I have been sick many times this winter.
'Sickness' is not typically used as a countable plural for individual episodes of illness.

2. the unpleasant feeling that the food or drink in your stomach may rise up into y

2.nounB1
Definition

the unpleasant feeling that the food or drink in your stomach may rise up into your mouth, or the act of bringing it up

Example

The rough sea journey caused a wave of sickness that left many passengers lying down.

wave of sickness

Brian felt a sudden sickness in his stomach after eating the undercooked chicken.

felt a sudden sickness in his stomach

Common collocations
  • a feeling of sickness
  • a wave of sickness
  • travel sickness
  • morning sickness
  • sea sickness
  • motion sickness
Synonyms
  • nausea

    more clinical; refers only to the feeling of wanting to vomit, not the act itself

  • vomiting

    more formal and direct; refers to the physical act rather than the sensation

  • queasiness

    a milder or less intense feeling of sickness in the stomach

Grammar Patterns

a feeling/wave of + sickness

compound: [cause/scenario] + sickness

Usage Note

Frequently appears in compound nouns such as 'morning sickness' (common in pregnancy), 'travel sickness' (motion-induced), and 'sea sickness'. When describing the physical act of bringing up food, 'vomiting' is the more clinical term; 'sickness' often refers to the sensation or tendency rather than the act itself.

Common Mistakes

I have sickness.' (meaning nausea)
I feel sick.' or 'I have a feeling of sickness.
Native speakers rarely say 'I have sickness' to mean nausea; they use 'I feel sick' or 'I'm going to be sick'.
Sickness is a symptom of food poisoning.' (vague)
Nausea and vomiting are symptoms of food poisoning.
When describing medical symptoms, 'nausea' or 'vomiting' is more precise than 'sickness'.

3. a particular disease that has a recognised name, a known set of symptoms, or a k

3.nounB1
Definition

a particular disease that has a recognised name, a known set of symptoms, or a known cause, especially one that appears in a specific group of people or animals

Example

Sleeping sickness is a serious disease spread by the tsetse fly in parts of Africa.

compound: sleeping sickness

Radiation sickness can develop after exposure to very high levels of nuclear material.

compound: radiation sickness

Common collocations
  • sleeping sickness
  • radiation sickness
  • altitude sickness
  • mountain sickness
  • decompression sickness
  • livestock sickness
Synonyms
  • disease

    the standard term for a named medical condition; 'disease' works as a standalone word whereas 'sickness' in this sense almost always needs a modifier

  • disorder

    more clinical, often used for conditions that affect specific body systems

  • ailment

    less formal, often used for minor or chronic conditions that are not life-threatening

Grammar Patterns

[type/place/cause] + sickness

sickness + spread/affect/cause

Usage Note

In this sense, 'sickness' almost always appears as part of a compound noun naming a specific disease (e.g., 'sleeping sickness', 'radiation sickness', 'altitude sickness'). It is rarely used on its own as a countable noun to name a disease; for most named conditions, 'disease' or 'syndrome' is preferred.

4. a strong feeling of shock, sadness, or disgust caused by something that is deepl

4.nounB2
Definition

a strong feeling of shock, sadness, or disgust caused by something that is deeply unpleasant or morally wrong; also, the quality of being defective, corrupt, or seriously flawed

Example

The villagers felt a deep sickness when their only school was closed forever.

felt a deep sickness — figurative emotional use

A sickness of disappointment spread through the team after their narrow defeat in the final.

sickness of disappointment — figurative + of-phrase

Common collocations
  • a deep sickness
  • a sickness of disappointment
  • sickness of the soul
  • sickness in society
  • moral sickness
  • a sickness of the heart
Synonyms
  • horror

    stronger, more immediate emotional reaction of fear and shock; 'sickness' adds a layer of moral revulsion

  • disgust

    focuses on the feeling of strong dislike or revulsion; 'sickness' implies a deeper, more unsettling reaction

  • revulsion

    a sudden, violent feeling of disgust; more dramatic than 'sickness'

Antonyms
  • delight

    a feeling of great pleasure or satisfaction

  • wholesomeness

    the quality of being morally good, healthy, and sound

Grammar Patterns

a sickness + of + abstract noun

there is a sickness in/of + noun phrase

Usage Note

This is a figurative, emotional sense used in formal or literary contexts. It describes a reaction to something shocking or morally repulsive (similar to 'disgust' or 'horror'), or it describes a state of corruption or defect in an organisation, system, or society. It is not used for physical illness.

Common Mistakes

I felt sickness when I saw the car accident.
I felt a deep sickness when I saw the car accident.
This sense typically requires a determiner or modifier ('a deep sickness', 'a sickness of...') and is reserved for strongly emotional contexts, not mild unpleasantness.
There is a sickness in the building.' (physical defect)
There is a structural problem with the building.
For physical defects in objects, use 'fault', 'defect', or 'problem' instead of 'sickness'.

Word family

  • sick
    adjectiveA2
  • sicken
    verbC1
  • sickly
    adjectiveB2
  • sickening
    adjectiveB2
  • sickeningly
    adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Sickness', 'illness', 'disease', 'disorder', and 'condition' all refer to a state of poor health, but they differ in scope and register. 'Illness' is the most general and neutral term, covering any period when a person's body or mind is not functioning normally. 'Sickness' overlaps with 'illness' but is slightly more informal and is often used in everyday speech for temporary ailments such as colds or stomach upsets; it is also the preferred word in fixed expressions like 'travel sickness'. 'Disease' is more clinical and typically refers to a named condition with a known cause and set of symptoms — you would say 'heart disease', not 'heart sickness'. 'Disorder' is the most technical term, commonly used in medical and psychiatric contexts to describe a disruption of normal function (e.g., 'anxiety disorder'). 'Condition' is the broadest and most euphemistic, covering anything from a lifelong illness to a minor complaint. In everyday conversation, 'I have an illness' sounds slightly formal, while 'I have a sickness' sounds more natural for short-term, symptom-based health problems.

illness ↗disease ↗disorder ↗condition ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • sickness and health
  • signs of sickness
  • a bout of sickness
  • off sick
  • sick leave

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishGermanicEnglish

The word 'sickness' comes from Old English 'seocnes', which was formed by combining 'seoc' (meaning ill or diseased) with the suffix '-nes' (which turns adjectives into nouns, like '-ness' in Modern English). It has been used in English for over a thousand years, and similar words exist in other Germanic languages, such as German 'Krankheit' (from 'krank' meaning sick). The use of 'sickness' to mean nausea emerged later, around the 16th century, and the figurative sense of moral or emotional distress developed further in the 19th century.