Macmillan Dictionary

Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

General words for illnesses, diseases and medical conditions

illness

noun

the state of feeling ill or of having a disease

disease

noun

an illness that affects people or animals, especially one that is caused by infection

sickness

noun

a condition in which you have an illness

infection

noun

a disease or other medical condition that is caused by bacteria or by a virus or a parasite

disorder

noun

an illness or medical condition

complaint

noun

an illness or other medical problem

condition

noun

an illness or health problem that lasts a long time and affects the way you live

ailment

noun

an illness, usually not a serious one

epidemic

noun

a situation in which a disease spreads very quickly and infects many people

contagion

noun

a disease that can be spread from one person to another through touch or through the air

caxirola

a percussion instrument used by football fans which makes a rattling sound when shaken

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day

flat racing

horse racing on flat ground with no fences or jumping

Open Dictionary

pierce the corporate veil

… the decision to treat the rights and duties of a company as being the same as the rights and duties of its shareholders

add a word

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog