noun
complaint
An illness or symptom affecting the body.
Back pain is a common complaint among people who sit all day.
Etymology
The older word names an expression of distress. The medical sense shifts attention from the complaint being voiced to the illness or symptom giving someone reason to complain.
More examples
- The doctor treats minor complaints such as rashes and indigestion.
- Her stomach complaint clears up after a few days.
- Fatigue is his main complaint during the checkup.
Forms
complaint · complaints
Similar words
- ailment
- Usually names an illness, especially a minor or persistent one.
- symptom
- Names a sign of illness, not the illness itself.
- disorder
- Suggests a diagnosed disturbance of normal bodily functioning.