disease

noun

(medicine) An abnormal condition of a human, animal or plant that causes discomfort or dysfunction; distinct from injury insofar as the latter is usually instantaneously acquired.

(figuratively) Any abnormal or harmful condition, as of society, people's attitudes, way of living etc.

A lack of ease; uneasiness; trouble; vexation; disquiet.

verb

To infect with a disease.

(obsolete) To cause unease; to annoy, irritate.

Roots

disdis- · Latin · apart, not aise-ease · Old French · ease, comfort

Synonyms for disease

maladyn illnessn ailmentn sicknessn epizooticadj infectionn cancern pestilencen

Synonyms & related words for disease

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of disease — including malady, illness, ailment, sickness, epizootic, infection. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to disease

Explore words related to disease — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include nosologist, pathogenous, mucoviscidosis, cancroid, uncinariasis, dourine, idiopathy, dyscrasia. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for disease

Common synonyms for disease include malady, illness, ailment, sickness, epizootic, infection, cancer, pestilence — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does disease come from?

The word disease breaks down into 2 roots of Latin and Old French origin: dis-, from Latin dis (“apart, not”); and -ease, from Old French aise (“ease, comfort”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.