If you have an illness, there is something wrong with your health. An illness can last for a long time or a short time, and its effects can be serious or not serious.
You can use the adjectives long and short in front of illness, but not in front of disease.
A disease is a particular kind of illness caused by bacteria or an infection. Diseases can often be passed from one person to another.
Animals and plants can also have diseases, but not illnesses.
| Noun | 1. | disease - an impairment of health or a condition of abnormal functioningillness, sickness, unwellness, malady - impairment of normal physiological function affecting part or all of an organism disease of the neuromuscular junction - a disease characterized by impairment of neuromuscular junctions aspergillosis - disease especially in agricultural workers caused by inhalation of Aspergillus spores causing lumps in skin and ears and respiratory organs anthrax - a disease of humans that is not communicable; caused by infection with Bacillus anthracis followed by septicemia blackwater - any of several human or animal diseases characterized by dark urine resulting from rapid breakdown of red blood cells cat scratch disease - a disease thought to be transmitted to humans by a scratch from a cat complication - any disease or disorder that occurs during the course of (or because of) another disease; "bed sores are a common complication in cases of paralysis" crud - an ill-defined bodily ailment; "he said he had the crud and needed a doctor" endemic, endemic disease - a disease that is constantly present to a greater or lesser degree in people of a certain class or in people living in a particular location enteropathy - a disease of the intestinal tract incompetence - inability of a part or organ to function properly Kawasaki disease, mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome - an acute disease of young children characterized by a rash and swollen lymph nodes and fever; of unknown cause boutonneuse fever, Indian tick fever, Kenya fever, Marseilles fever - a disease (common in India and around the Mediterranean area) caused by a rickettsia that is transmitted to humans by a reddish brown tick (ixodid) that lives on dogs and other mammals Meniere's disease - a disease of the inner ear characterized by episodes of dizziness and tinnitus and progressive hearing loss (usually unilateral) milk sickness - caused by consuming milk from cattle suffering from trembles mimesis - any disease that shows symptoms characteristic of another disease industrial disease, occupational disease - disease or disability resulting from conditions of employment (usually from long exposure to a noxious substance or from continuous repetition of certain acts) onychosis - any disease or disorder of the nails rheumatism - any painful disorder of the joints or muscles or connective tissues periarteritis nodosa, polyarteritis nodosa - a progressive disease of connective tissue that is characterized by nodules along arteries; nodules may block the artery and result in inadequate circulation to the particular area periodontal disease, periodontitis - a disease that attacks the gum and bone and around the teeth liver disease - a disease affecting the liver communicable disease - a disease that can be communicated from one person to another exanthema subitum, pseudorubella, roseola infantilis, roseola infantum - a viral disease of infants and young children; characterized by abrupt high fever and mild sore throat; a few days later there is a faint pinkish rash that lasts for a few hours to a few days respiratory disease, respiratory disorder, respiratory illness - a disease affecting the respiratory system congenital disease, genetic abnormality, genetic defect, genetic disease, genetic disorder, hereditary condition, hereditary disease, inherited disease, inherited disorder - a disease or disorder that is inherited genetically inflammatory disease - a disease characterized by inflammation autoimmune disease, autoimmune disorder - any of a large group of diseases characterized by abnormal functioning of the immune system that causes your immune system to produce antibodies against your own tissues deficiency disease - any disease caused by a lack of an essential nutrient (as a vitamin or mineral) cystic breast disease, cystic mastitis, fibrocystic breast disease, fibrocystic disease of the breast - the presence of one or more cysts in a breast goiter, goitre, struma, thyromegaly - abnormally enlarged thyroid gland; can result from underproduction or overproduction of hormone or from a deficiency of iodine in the diet pappataci fever, phlebotomus, sandfly fever - a mild viral disease transmitted by the bite of the sand fly Phlebotomus papatasii |