illness
/ˈɪlnəs/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈɪlnəs/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈil-nəs/ (ame, mw)
illness — noun
- illnesssingular
- illnessesplural
1. a particular medical problem that affects a part of your body or your mind, ofte
a particular medical problem that affects a part of your body or your mind, often with clear signs that a doctor can name
Ezra caught a rare illness while working on a farm in Africa.
catch + [illness]: common verb collocation
Rin's illness got better after she took medicine for two weeks.
get better: common phrasal verb with illness
The doctor said this illness is very common in children under five.
Amihan's illness was hard to diagnose because its signs looked like other problems at first.
- disease
more technical/medical; focuses on the biological condition rather than the experience of being unwell
- condition
broader; can refer to any long-term health problem, not necessarily an active disease
- disorder
more formal, often used for mental health or for problems with specific body systems
- sickness
more informal; in British English often means temporary nausea or vomiting
- health
the state of being well, free from disease
文法句型
a/an + (adjective) + illness
常見錯誤
2. the condition or time when your body or mind is not working normally and you fee
the condition or time when your body or mind is not working normally and you feel unwell
A short illness forced Lucas to stay home from work for three days.
illness as subject: natural for uncountable sense
After a short illness, Elena was able to go back to school.
after a [adjective] illness: time-marker phrase
Gabriel's long illness made it hard for him to keep his job.
Most kinds of illness get better with rest, according to the nurse.
- sickness
more common in everyday British English for temporary nausea; also used for the general state in American English
- ill health
more formal; often used for long-term or chronic conditions
文法句型
due to illness
period of illness
[adjective] illness
用法筆記
This sense is uncountable and refers to the general experience or period of being unwell, not a named medical condition. To refer to a specific named condition, use sense 1 (e.g. 'He has a rare illness' = specific disease; 'He missed work due to illness' = general state). American English speakers often prefer 'sickness' for the general state; 'illness' is equally natural in both varieties.