poor health — bad health
collocationB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
A state of not being healthy, often because of illness, weakness, or unhealthy habits.
Say it like a native
Textbook He has been experiencing a state of suboptimal physical wellbeing.
Native He's been in poor health.
'Suboptimal physical wellbeing' is jargon; 'in poor health' is the set phrase.
Pattern: in poor health; have poor health; suffer from poor health
In use
- After years of working long hours and not exercising, he found himself in poor health.health
- If people have poor health, they may find it difficult to work or enjoy daily activities, which can affect their quality of life.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ He has a poor health.
✓ He's in poor health.
'In poor health' (no 'a') or 'have poor health'.
Common collocations
poor health— in poor health, due to poor health, poor health, ill health
Don't confuse it
Contrast with 'good health', which means being healthy and well.