English Reference
Noun

ailment

n.
C1 Advanced US /ˈeɪɫmənt/ UK /ˈeɪlmənt/ ail·ment UK spelling ailment's, ailment's

n.a medical problem or a physical illness. It is a slightly formal word that you might hear in a doctor's office or in a story.

n.a medical condition or physical illness. Often used in a literary or formal context to describe a specific health issue.


SIMPLE

The doctor treated the patient's minor ailment with rest.

CONTEXTUAL

While the athlete's injury was serious, his previous ailments were nothing more than common colds.

COMPLEX

The protagonist's journey is marked by a series of minor ailments that serve as metaphors for his growing sense of isolation and physical decay.

It is the region’s worst haze episode since 2015, when fires in Indonesia exposed tens of millions of people to toxic smoke and caused more than 500,000 people to suffer respiratory ailments.

Al Jazeera· 1 Sept 2026

Often, mental health concerns accompany or supersede physical ailments.

The Guardian· 11 Aug 2026

From ail + -ment.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Occasional
Updated