terminal illness

[ tur-muh-nl il-nis ]

noun

1. a disease or condition that cannot be cured and will almost certainly lead to death.

Word History and Origins

Origin of terminal illness¹

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

The news that he had a terminal illness, in September 2023, came "completely out the blue".

From BBC

The news that he had a terminal illness, in September 2023, came "completely out the blue".

From BBC

"When you hear terminal illness, terminal cancer, you just have this image in your head of what it is, what it's going to be like. And everybody's different, and not everybody is given the time that I've been given - and that's why I feel lucky. We genuinely feel lucky, as crazy as that might sound, because we've got the time."

From BBC

The creator of the BBC crime dramas Silent Witness and New Tricks has spoken publicly for the first time about being diagnosed with a terminal illness.

From BBC

In May 2024, they voted to approve plans to allow assisted dying for those with a terminal illness "causing unbearable suffering".

From BBC