Phrase guide

terminal illness

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

An illness that is normally incurable and that a terminally ill person would not be expected to recover from.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: medicine, pathology, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

6 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 絕症 /绝症 (juézhèng) — an illness from which there is no recovery
  • Chinese Mandarin: 終末期疾病 /终末期疾病 (zhōngmòqī jíbìng) — an illness from which there is no recovery
  • Chinese Mandarin: 末期疾病 (mòqī jíbìng) — an illness from which there is no recovery
  • Finnish: parantumaton sairaus — an illness from which there is no recovery
  • Finnish: kuolemaan johtava sairaus — an illness from which there is no recovery
  • Māori: mate tuamatangi — an illness from which there is no recovery