Definition

Having a disease or illness; not healthy or in good condition.

Example

The doctor examined the diseased plants to determine the cause of their poor health.

Conversation

Did you hear about the garden? Some of the plants look pretty diseased.

Oh no, that's not good! What are you planning to do about it?

I think I might need to remove the diseased ones to save the healthy ones.

That sounds like a good idea; it's better to act quickly before it spreads.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Diseased is formed from "disease" (from Old French *desaise*, meaning discomfort or illness) and "-ed" (a suffix used to form the past participle). The word "diseased" refers to someone or something that is affected by a disease or illness.

Memory Tip

Think of 'discomfort' from the root 'disease' — when someone is diseased, they are experiencing discomfort or illness.

Visually Confused Words