sick ‧ ness /ˈsɪknəs, ˈsɪknɪs/ BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ sick , the sick, ↑ sickness , ↑ sicko ; adjective : ↑ sick , ↑ sickening , ↑ sickly ; adverb : ↑ sickeningly , ↑ sickly ; verb : ↑ sicken ]
1 . [uncountable] the state of being ill SYN illness :
an insurance policy against long-term sickness and injury
working days lost due to sickness
2 . [uncountable] the feeling that you are about to bring up food from your stomach, or the act of bringing food up SYN nausea
travel/motion/car/sea etc sickness (=sickness that some people get while travelling)
Liam had suffered violent sickness and diarrhoea.
⇨ ↑ morning sickness , ↑ sleeping sickness
3 . [countable] a particular illness:
war-related sicknesses
4 . [uncountable and countable] the serious problems and weaknesses of a social, political, or economic system:
He said the idea of ‘success’ was part of the sickness of Western cultures.
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THESAURUS
■ the general state of being ill
▪ illness the general state of being ill:
Stress is emerging today as a major cause of illness.
▪ sickness the state of being ill, especially when it stops you working:
absence from work due to sickness
▪ ill health formal the state of being ill, usually for a long period of time:
Research shows that there is a link between air pollution and ill health.