C222 words · Proficient

Being Ill vocabulary — C2

Illness vocabulary for disease described the way a doctor or an epidemiologist would, including congenital, degenerative, a pandemic and an asymptomatic carrier, plus symptoms like vertigo and malaise.

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Words in this set

ailment
/ˈeɪlmənt/
A minor illness or health problem that is not serious.
Example: My grandmother has a remedy for every small ailment.
remission
/riˈmɪʃən/
A period when a serious disease has eased and its effects disappear, perhaps only for a time.
Example: Her cancer has been in remission for three years now.
debilitating
/dəˈbɪləˌteɪtɪŋ/
So severe that it leaves you weak and unable to live normally.
Example: The migraines were so debilitating that she left her job.
susceptible
/səˈsɛptəbəl/
Easily affected or harmed by something, such as an infection or cold weather.
Example: Older patients are more susceptible to chest infections in winter.
asymptomatic
/ˌeɪˌsɪmptəˈmætɪk/
Having an infection or disease without showing any signs of it.
Example: Many people who caught the virus were completely asymptomatic.
degenerative
/dɪˈdʒɛnərətɪv/
Describing a disease that gradually gets worse over time, causing the body or mind to weaken.
Example: Her grandmother suffers from a degenerative condition.
congenital
/kənˈdʒɛnətəl/
Describing a medical condition that a person has had since they were born.
Example: The baby was born with a congenital heart condition.
pandemic
/pænˈdɛmɪk/
A disease that spreads across a whole country or the world, affecting a very large number of people.
Example: The virus quickly became a global pandemic.
contagion
/kənˈteɪdʒən/
The spreading of a disease by contact between people, or an instance of this happening.
Example: Officials acted fast to prevent further contagion.
hereditary
/hərˈɛdəˌtɛri/
Describing an illness or characteristic that is passed from parents to children through their genes.
Example: Some types of cancer can be hereditary.
morbidity
/mɔrˈbɪdəti/
The rate of disease within a population.
Example: The study compared morbidity across three age groups.
queasy
/ˈkwizi/
Feeling slightly sick and unsettled in the stomach, as on a rocking boat.
Example: Boat trips always leave me a bit queasy.
clammy
/ˈklæmi/
Unpleasantly damp and cold to the touch, as skin can be during fever or fear.
Example: His hands went clammy just before he had to speak.
malaise
/mæˈleɪz/
A general feeling of being unwell and low on energy.
Example: A general malaise hung over her for weeks afterwards.
delirious
/dɪˈlɪriəs/
Confused and saying things that make no sense, usually because of a very high temperature.
Example: He was delirious with fever and kept calling out strange names.
vertigo
/ˈvɜrtɪˌɡoʊ/
A dizzy feeling in which everything around you seems to be spinning.
Example: Looking down from the tower gave him sudden vertigo.
spasm
/ˈspæzəm/
A sudden, involuntary movement or tightening of a muscle or organ, which you cannot control.
Example: A sharp spasm shot through his lower back as he bent down.
disoriented
/dɪˈsɔriˌɛntɪd/
Confused about where you are or what is happening, and unable to think clearly.
Example: The blow to his head left him disoriented for a few minutes.
convulsion
/kənˈvʌlʃən/
A sudden, uncontrollable shaking of the body caused by muscles contracting rapidly.
Example: The child had a convulsion caused by a very high fever.
pallor
Unusual paleness of someone's face, especially because of illness or fear.
Example: The nurse noticed the patient's unusual pallor.
incoherent
/ˌɪnkoʊˈhɪrənt/
Unable to speak clearly or make sense, for example because of illness or exhaustion.
Example: He was so exhausted that his words came out incoherent and jumbled.
affliction
/əˈflɪkʃən/
A condition that causes lasting pain or suffering.
Example: Hay fever was a minor affliction compared with what followed.