asthma
/ˈæzmə/A long-term illness that makes it hard to get enough air into your chest.
Example: Cold air always sets off his asthma.
B220 words · Upper-intermediate
Being Ill vocabulary — B2
Illness vocabulary for conditions defined by how long they last or how fast they spread, including asthma, diabetes, a migraine and an outbreak, plus words like chronic and contagious.
20 questions
Words in this set
20migraine
/ˈmaɪˌɡreɪn/A very bad head pain that returns again and again, often with sickness and blurred sight.
Example:
She gets a migraine whenever she skips meals.
diabetes
/ˌdaɪəˈbitiz/A long illness in which the body cannot control the amount of sugar in the blood.
Example:
My uncle has diabetes and checks his levels daily.
contagious
/kənˈteɪdʒəs/Able to pass easily from one person to another.
Example:
Stay at home while you're still contagious.
chronic
/ˈkrɑnɪk/Lasting for a very long time and hard to cure completely.
Example:
He suffers from chronic pain in his lower back.
stroke
/stroʊk/A sudden serious illness in which blood stops reaching part of the brain.
Example:
My grandfather had a stroke and lost movement in one arm.
outbreak
/ˈaʊtˌbreɪk/A sudden start of a disease that spreads quickly among many people.
Example:
The school closed after a flu outbreak among the students.
bacteria
/bækˈtɪriə/Tiny living things, too small to see, that can cause disease.
Example:
Doctors found that bacteria were responsible for the illness.
epidemic
/ˌɛpəˈdɛmɪk/An occurrence of a disease that spreads quickly and affects many people in a place at the same time.
Example:
The country declared an epidemic after cases tripled.
quarantine
/ˈkwɔrənˌtin/A period when a person or animal that might have an infectious disease is kept away from others.
Example:
All new arrivals had to go into quarantine for two weeks.
nausea
/ˈnɔziə/The uncomfortable feeling that you are about to be sick.
Example:
The medicine gave me terrible nausea for a few hours.
fatigue
/fəˈtiɡ/A feeling of extreme tiredness that does not go away after rest.
Example:
Many patients report fatigue for weeks afterwards.
stiff
/stɪf/Hard to bend or move, often after exercise or sitting too long.
Example:
My neck feels stiff after sleeping badly.
numb
/nʌm/Not able to feel anything in part of your body.
Example:
My fingers went numb in the cold water.
wheeze
/wiz/To breathe with a rough whistling sound because the chest feels tight.
Example:
He began to wheeze as soon as the dust rose.
hoarse
/hɔrs/Sounding rough and weak when you speak, often after shouting or a cold.
Example:
My voice went hoarse after shouting at the match.
flushed
/flʌʃt/Red and hot in the face, usually because of a fever or strong feelings.
Example:
Her cheeks were flushed after the long climb uphill.
breathless
/ˈbrɛθləs/Gasping and finding it hard to get enough air, often after exercise or because of illness.
Example:
He felt breathless after climbing just one flight of stairs.
tender
/ˈtɛndər/Painful when touched.
Example:
The bruise on her arm was still tender.
discomfort
/dɪˈskʌmfərt/A feeling of mild pain or physical unease.
Example:
He complained of some discomfort in his chest.
