because of sickness

USAGE SUMMARY

This phrase is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when you want to explain why something happened, or why someone could not do something. For example, "He was unable to attend the meeting because of sickness."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

"He's out because of sickness," O'Neill said.

The Guardian - Sport

"The athlete has withdrawn because of sickness," said a spokesman.

The Guardian - Sport

It's very rare that I'll miss a session, normally just because of sickness or injury.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

However, the primary objective of the mission was cancelled because of sickness spreading through the fleet and adverse weather conditions.

Britannica

So a child that is off because of sickness for one week cannot catch up on the missed work?

Independent

And downsizing is associated with negative changes in work behavior, increased smoking, less spousal support, and twice the rate of absence from work because of sickness.

Stanford University

In the past, absentee voting was reserved mainly for those unable to make it to the polls on Election Day, whether because of sickness, business or military service.

The New York Times

In fact, one parent, Barbara Giardina, said her son John got upset if he had to miss school because of sickness or a snow day.

The New York Times

He may well be undecided: he excused himself because of sickness from the cabinet meeting on August 3rd about Mr Fazio's role in the Antonveneta affair.

The Economist

Some trees are dethroned each year because of sickness or destruction, but more often simpy because a new and bigger specimen is discovered; only three trees from the original Register in 1940 are still living today.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

British firms are losing on average 27.5 days of productive time per employee each year because of sickness, according to a report from Britain's Healthiest Workplace, so businesses have a clear interest in keep their staff fit and healthy.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When writing formally, consider using alternatives like "owing to sickness" or "due to illness" instead of "because of sickness" for a more sophisticated tone.

Common error

While "because of sickness" is perfectly acceptable, overuse in informal writing can make your text sound repetitive. Vary your language with synonyms like "illness" or "being unwell" to keep your writing engaging.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "because of sickness" functions as an adverbial phrase of reason. It modifies a verb or clause by explaining the cause or reason for an action or situation. Ludwig AI confirms this, showing the phrase's role in providing explanations for events, absences, or changes.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

39%

Science

36%

Academia

19%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

2%

Wiki

2%

Formal & Business

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "because of sickness" is a versatile phrase used to indicate causality, particularly when explaining events, absences, or consequences stemming from illness. Ludwig AI confirms the phrase's grammatical correctness and its broad applicability across different registers. While acceptable in both formal and informal contexts, more sophisticated alternatives such as "due to illness" or "owing to sickness" may be preferred for formal writing. Ludwig shows that this expression is very frequent and it’s prevalent in news, scientific, and academic sources. When writing, consider varying your language to avoid repetition and maintain reader engagement.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

due to illness

Replaces "because of sickness" with "due to illness", altering the prepositional phrase.

caused by illness

Uses a passive voice to indicate the sickness as the cause.

owing to sickness

Substitutes "because of" with "owing to", providing a more formal alternative.

as a result of illness

Replaces the causal phrase with "as a result of", emphasizing the consequence of the illness.

on account of sickness

Uses "on account of" instead of "because of", offering a slightly different phrasing.

resulting from sickness

Highlights that the situation is a result of the sickness.

by reason of sickness

Employs "by reason of" for a more formal and legalistic tone.

in consequence of sickness

Rephrases to highlight the consequence of the sickness.

attributable to sickness

Focuses on attributing the cause to sickness.

on the grounds of sickness

Indicates that sickness is the justification or reason.

FAQs

How can I use "because of sickness" in a sentence?

You can use "because of sickness" to explain why something happened or why someone couldn't do something. For example, "The event was canceled "because of sickness"".

What are some alternatives to saying "because of sickness"?

Some alternatives include "due to illness", "owing to sickness", or "as a result of illness".

Is it more appropriate to say "due to sickness" or "because of sickness"?

"Due to sickness" and "because of sickness" are often interchangeable, but "due to sickness" is generally considered more formal.

Can "because of sickness" be used in formal writing?

Yes, "because of sickness" is acceptable, but more formal alternatives like "owing to sickness" or "on account of sickness" may be preferred in certain contexts.