ill
1 of 5adjective
ˈil 
worse ˈwərs ; worst ˈwərst
; worst ˈwərst 1
a comparative also iller; superlative also illest
(1)
: not in good health
also : nauseated
(2)
: not normal or sound
ill health
b
: causing suffering or distress
ill weather
2
: unfriendly, hostile
ill feeling
3
a
: not suited to circumstances or not to one's advantage : unlucky
an ill omen
b
: involving difficulty : hard
4
a
: attributing evil or an objectionable quality
held an ill opinion of his neighbors
b
: resulting from, accompanied by, or indicative of an evil or malevolent intention
ill deeds
c
chiefly Scotland : immoral, vicious
5
a
: not meeting an accepted standard
ill manners
b
archaic : notably unskillful or inefficient
ill
2 of 5adverb
worse; worst
1
a
: in a faulty, inefficient, insufficient, or unpleasant manner —often used in combination
the methods used may be ill-adapted to the aims in view
R. M. Hutchins
R. M. Hutchins b
: in an unfortunate manner : badly, unluckily
ill fares the land … where wealth accumulates, and men decay Oliver Goldsmith
Oliver Goldsmith2
: hardly, scarcely
can ill afford such extravagances
3
a
: so as to reflect unfavorably
spoke ill of the neighbors
b
: with displeasure or hostility
c
: in a harsh manner
4
: in a reprehensible manner
ill
3 of 5noun
1
a
: misfortune, distress
b(1)
: ailment, sickness
(2)
: something that disturbs or afflicts : trouble
economic and social ills
2
: something that reflects unfavorably
spoke no ill of him
3
: the reverse of good : evil
ill
4 of 5abbreviation (1)
illustrated; illustration; illustrator
Ill
5 of 5abbreviation (2)
Illinois
Synonyms
Adjective
- nauseated
- nauseous
- qualmish
- queasy
- queazy
- queer
- queerish
- sick
- sickish
- squeamish
Adverb
- brutally
- hard
- hardly
- harshly
- oppressively
- roughly
- severely
- sternly
- stiffly
Noun
- affection
- ail
- ailment
- bug
- complaint
- complication
- condition
- disease
- disorder
- distemper
- distemperature
- fever
- illness
- infirmity
- malady
- sickness
- trouble
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Adjective That dog can eat almost anything with no ill effects. They had been subjected to months of ill treatment. Adverb He is being ill served by his advisers. Please don't think ill of me. He was a good man who never spoke ill of anyone. Noun chicken pox and the other ills that were once a fixture of childhood idealistic people who try to cure all of our society's ills See More
Recent Examples on the Web BostonGlobe.com, 7 Sep. 2022 One critically ill non-COVID-19 patient had a serious heart condition. Mollie Simon, ProPublica, 7 Sep. 2022 My research suggests that the pudding spread to lots of places in Ireland—in part, perhaps, thanks to its blandness, many viewed it as suitable fare for the ill and infirm. Chris Baraniuk, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Sep. 2022 Wounds that cut deep point to the damage done in the previous decades, but when Lewis fell ill, Tolkien visited his old friend and collaborator in hospital and at home. Emma Fraser, Town & Country, 4 Sep. 2022 But one night, a mentally ill man broke the head off the Madonna and then killed himself. San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Sep. 2022 Last year, Francis approved a miracle attributed to the intercession of John Paul I — that of the recovery of a critically ill 11-year-old girl in 2011 in Buenos Aires, the hometown of the current pope. Fox News, 4 Sep. 2022 Plunking this recessive central figure down into a stale mix of tropes and themes — fraught homecoming, terminally ill mother, aggrieved LGBTQ child — Pallaoro fails to tap into anything especially surprising or insightful. Jon Frosch, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2022 Congress has an ethical and moral duty to right this injustice – especially for terminally ill veterans who risked their lives to defend our country and deserve a peaceful death – by repealing the Assisted Suicide Funding Restriction Act. Ginger Fairchild, CNN, 3 Sep. 2022 Ricardo Cano, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Sep. 2022 In Providence, Mayor Jorge Elorza defended his administration’s response to the storm after mayoral candidate Brett Smiley, on the ballot in next week’s Democratic primary, said the city was ill-prepared for the deluge. Brian Amaral, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Sep. 2022 However, there is nothing worse than being ill prepared while sitting through a 3-ish hour game, especially those of us who are obligated to stay all four quarters. Josie Howell | Jhowell@al.com, al, 22 Aug. 2022 Ukraine’s services appear to have read too much into signs that Russian forces were ill-prepared for full-scale combat, resisting Western warnings of an invasion that came within miles of the capital. Catherine Belton, Washington Post, 19 Aug. 2022 Ukraine’s services appear to have read too much into signs that Russian forces were ill-prepared for full-scale combat, resisting Western warnings of an invasion that came within several miles of the capital. Greg Miller And Catherine Belton, Anchorage Daily News, 19 Aug. 2022 Already occurring more often, heat waves are forecast to increase in potency and duration because of climate change, say scientists – who fear the globe is ill-prepared to handle the punishing toll. Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 5 Aug. 2022 The record-setting heat that roasted London showed how ill-prepared northern European cities are for extreme weather driven by global warming. New York Times, 28 July 2022 Many are ill-prepared to manage and protect the wealth of personally identifiable information. Indy Guha, Forbes, 18 July 2022 Michelle Nijhuis, The Atlantic, 22 June 2022 The director is little helped by Barrymore, whose E.T.-era button-cuteness ill-serves this particular project. Clark Collis, EW.com, 14 May 2022 Doncic committed nearly half of those, but Westbrook is receiving far more criticism for the same ill. Duane Rankin, USA TODAY, 21 Jan. 2022 Though the Republican governor opposed marijuana legalization as a social ill, her administration’s arguments in court centered on technical violations to the South Dakota Constitution. From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 25 Nov. 2021 This societal ill seemed to peak with Princess Diana’s death in 1997 but has only gotten worse in the decades since. Michelle Ruiz, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2021 In Chinese eyes, each of its targets is associated with a longstanding social ill. WSJ, 26 Sep. 2021 The state doesn’t have enough intensive care unit beds to treat the ill. al, 9 Sep. 2021 Harris and Biden, too, have been fully vaccinated, which public health experts say should protect nearly everyone from falling serious ill. Todd J. Gillman, Dallas News, 20 July 2021 See More
Adjective
Yet that same month, something similarly unthinkable allegedly happened again: Baribeau did not come to the hospital in a timely fashion for a desperately ill patient. BostonGlobe.com, 7 Sep. 2022 One critically ill non-COVID-19 patient had a serious heart condition. Mollie Simon, ProPublica, 7 Sep. 2022 My research suggests that the pudding spread to lots of places in Ireland—in part, perhaps, thanks to its blandness, many viewed it as suitable fare for the ill and infirm. Chris Baraniuk, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Sep. 2022 Wounds that cut deep point to the damage done in the previous decades, but when Lewis fell ill, Tolkien visited his old friend and collaborator in hospital and at home. Emma Fraser, Town & Country, 4 Sep. 2022 But one night, a mentally ill man broke the head off the Madonna and then killed himself. San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Sep. 2022 Last year, Francis approved a miracle attributed to the intercession of John Paul I — that of the recovery of a critically ill 11-year-old girl in 2011 in Buenos Aires, the hometown of the current pope. Fox News, 4 Sep. 2022 Plunking this recessive central figure down into a stale mix of tropes and themes — fraught homecoming, terminally ill mother, aggrieved LGBTQ child — Pallaoro fails to tap into anything especially surprising or insightful. Jon Frosch, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2022 Congress has an ethical and moral duty to right this injustice – especially for terminally ill veterans who risked their lives to defend our country and deserve a peaceful death – by repealing the Assisted Suicide Funding Restriction Act. Ginger Fairchild, CNN, 3 Sep. 2022 Adverb
Even among some of its supporters, there’s a sense that BART had ill prepared for the challenges and growth of the past decade. Ricardo Cano, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Sep. 2022 In Providence, Mayor Jorge Elorza defended his administration’s response to the storm after mayoral candidate Brett Smiley, on the ballot in next week’s Democratic primary, said the city was ill-prepared for the deluge. Brian Amaral, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Sep. 2022 However, there is nothing worse than being ill prepared while sitting through a 3-ish hour game, especially those of us who are obligated to stay all four quarters. Josie Howell | Jhowell@al.com, al, 22 Aug. 2022 Ukraine’s services appear to have read too much into signs that Russian forces were ill-prepared for full-scale combat, resisting Western warnings of an invasion that came within miles of the capital. Catherine Belton, Washington Post, 19 Aug. 2022 Ukraine’s services appear to have read too much into signs that Russian forces were ill-prepared for full-scale combat, resisting Western warnings of an invasion that came within several miles of the capital. Greg Miller And Catherine Belton, Anchorage Daily News, 19 Aug. 2022 Already occurring more often, heat waves are forecast to increase in potency and duration because of climate change, say scientists – who fear the globe is ill-prepared to handle the punishing toll. Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 5 Aug. 2022 The record-setting heat that roasted London showed how ill-prepared northern European cities are for extreme weather driven by global warming. New York Times, 28 July 2022 Many are ill-prepared to manage and protect the wealth of personally identifiable information. Indy Guha, Forbes, 18 July 2022 Noun
Despite ExxonMobil’s implications to the contrary, individual consumers cannot reverse climate change—or any other environmental ill, for that matter—and their choices are no substitute for systemic reforms. Michelle Nijhuis, The Atlantic, 22 June 2022 The director is little helped by Barrymore, whose E.T.-era button-cuteness ill-serves this particular project. Clark Collis, EW.com, 14 May 2022 Doncic committed nearly half of those, but Westbrook is receiving far more criticism for the same ill. Duane Rankin, USA TODAY, 21 Jan. 2022 Though the Republican governor opposed marijuana legalization as a social ill, her administration’s arguments in court centered on technical violations to the South Dakota Constitution. From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 25 Nov. 2021 This societal ill seemed to peak with Princess Diana’s death in 1997 but has only gotten worse in the decades since. Michelle Ruiz, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2021 In Chinese eyes, each of its targets is associated with a longstanding social ill. WSJ, 26 Sep. 2021 The state doesn’t have enough intensive care unit beds to treat the ill. al, 9 Sep. 2021 Harris and Biden, too, have been fully vaccinated, which public health experts say should protect nearly everyone from falling serious ill. Todd J. Gillman, Dallas News, 20 July 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English, from Old Norse illr
First Known Use
Adjective
12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4c
Adverb
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3b
Noun
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3
Phrases Containing ill
Kids Definition
ill 1 of 4
adjective
ˈil
worse
ˈwərs
; worst ˈwərst
1
: not in good health : sick
an ill person
2
: not normal or sound
ill health
3
: meant to do harm : evil
ill deeds
4
: causing suffering or distress
ill weather
5
: not helpful
He was plagued by ill luck.
6
: not kind or friendly
ill intentions
7
: not right or proper
ill manners
ill
2 of 4adverb
worse; worst
1
: with displeasure or anger
The remark was ill received.
2
: in a harsh or unkind way
The animals were ill treated.
3
: scarcely sense 1, hardly
He can ill afford it.
4
: in a bad or faulty way
They're ill-prepared to face the winter.
ill
3 of 4noun
1
: the opposite of good
Things will change for good or ill.
2
: a sickness or disease
childhood ills
3
: trouble entry 1 sense 2
society's ills
Ill.
4 of 4abbreviation
Illinois
Medical Definition
ill 1 of 2
adjective
ˈil
worse ˈwərs also iller ˈil-ər ; worst ˈwərst
also iller ˈil-ər ; worst ˈwərst 1
: affected with some ailment : not in good health
incurably ill with cancer Time
Timementally ill
2
: affected with nausea often to the point of vomiting
thought she would be ill after the ride on the roller coaster
ill
2 of 2noun
: ailment, sickness
chicken pox and other ills of childhood
Geographical Definition
Ill
geographical name
ˈēl
river 129 miles (208 kilometers) long in northeastern France flowing into the Rhine River
ill 1 of 3
adjective
1
as in sick
affected with nausea she grew ill from the constant rocking motion of the boat Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- sick
- sickish
- nauseous
- queasy
- upset
- nauseated
- squeamish
- qualmish
- unsettled
- queazy
- sickly
- queerish
- queer
- peaky
- green
- woozy
- peaked
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- well
- healthy
- settled
2
as in harmful
causing or capable of causing harm one of the ill effects of winter weather is the rapid spread of germs as people spend more time together indoors Synonyms & Similar Words
- harmful
- dangerous
- detrimental
- adverse
- bad
- damaging
- hazardous
- injurious
- evil
- poisonous
- baneful
- wicked
- infectious
- deleterious
- hurtful
- pernicious
- noxious
- mischievous
- prejudicial
- unsafe
- deadly
- baleful
- nocuous
- hostile
- infective
- destructive
- contagious
- lethal
- threatening
- pestilential
- risky
- pestilent
- unfriendly
- insidious
- sinister
- fatal
- unhealthy
- ominous
- perilous
- unwholesome
- venomous
- unhealthful
- unsound
- pestiferous
- malignant
- menacing
- inimical
- nasty
- ruinous
- parlous
- imperilling
- killer
- jeopardizing
- imperiling
- noisome
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- safe
- innocent
- beneficial
- useful
- good
- benign
- harmless
- innocuous
- advantageous
- favorable
- healthy
- anodyne
- inoffensive
- propitious
- helpful
- healthful
- salutary
- palliative
- wholesome
- salubrious
- curative
- hurtless
- remedial
- sound
- secure
- benignant
- noninfectious
- nonpoisonous
- nonfatal
- nontoxic
- noncorrosive
- nondestructive
- nonlethal
- nonpolluting
- nonvenomous
3
as in poorly
temporarily suffering from a disorder of the body since I'm ill, I guess that I'll just have to miss that dental appointment Synonyms & Similar Words
- sick
- poorly
- bad
- unwell
- down
- indisposed
- ailing
- dizzy
- sickened
- weak
- unhealthy
- shaky
- unsound
- troubled
- peaky
- punk
- peaked
- disabled
- under the weather
- out of sorts
- fragile
- lame
- symptomatic
- nauseous
- run-down
- afflicted
- sickish
- diseased
- queasy
- sickly
- feeble
- nauseated
- seasick
- infirm
- frail
- incapacitated
- debilitated
- squeamish
- woozy
- weakly
- lousy
- achy
- feverish
- challenged
- disordered
- queazy
- seedy
- airsick
- decrepit
- cruddy
- carsick
- invalid
- hypochondriacal
- qualmish
- hypochondriac
- halt
- light-headed
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- well
- healthy
- whole
- healthful
- better
- sound
- cured
- wholesome
- hale
- fit
- conditioned
- recovering
- improved
- hardy
- tough
- strong
- mending
- convalescing
- recuperating
- able-bodied
- hearty
- lusty
- well-conditioned
- robust
- rehabilitated
- stalwart
- rugged
- thriving
- flush
- flourishing
- bouncing
- blooming
- chipper
4
as in poor
falling short of a standard such ill behavior will not be tolerated Synonyms & Similar Words
- poor
- wrong
- unacceptable
- lame
- bad
- deficient
- awful
- terrible
- horrible
- disastrous
- wretched
- bastard
- pathetic
- off
- unsatisfactory
- flawed
- wanting
- dreadful
- sour
- brutal
- from hunger
- wack
- suboptimal
- lacking
- substandard
- crummy
- inferior
- lousy
- inadequate
- subpar
- miserable
- bush
- rotten
- defective
- below par
- punk
- dissatisfactory
- useless
- crumby
- short
- under par
- insufficient
- paltry
- worthless
- gross
- vile
- deplorable
- unspeakable
- lesser
- abysmal
- horrendous
- atrocious
- detestable
- damnable
- stinky
- bum
- gnarly
- sucky
- faulty
- shoddy
- common
- crappy
- abominable
- odious
- egregious
- flagrant
- mediocre
- execrable
- reprehensible
- junky
- bitchin'
- bush-league
- shabby
- spare
- valueless
- miserly
- mean
- coarse
- rubbishy
- cheesy
- stingy
- trashy
- meager
- scurrilous
- miscreant
- villainous
- skimpy
- scanty
- sleazy
- skimp
- counterfeit
- fake
- niggardly
- low-grade
- meagre
- sham
- low-rent
- phony
- second-rate
- cut-rate
- phoney
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- okay
- adequate
- satisfactory
- fine
- acceptable
- better
- tolerable
- decent
- great
- respectable
- standard
- excellent
- passable
- keen
- perfect
- sufficient
- superior
- swell
- noble
- special
- prime
- wonderful
- mean
- splendid
- all right
- classical
- divine
- choice
- classic
- exceptional
- dandy
- neat
- terrific
- superb
- top
- par excellence
- fancy
- boss
- marvellous
- grand
- heavenly
- marvelous
- exceptional
- sterling
- unsurpassed
- superlative
- fabulous
- sensational
- slick
- suitable
- useful
- stellar
- premium
- OK
- minimal
- worthy
- average
- fair
- banner
- supernal
- mediocre
- borderline
- nifty
- capital
- middling
- groovy
- tip-top
- unexceptional
- satisfying
- gratifying
- jim-dandy
- bang-up
- first-rate
- first-class
- crackerjack
- top-notch
- high-test
- so-so
- high-grade
- A1
5
as in ominous
being or showing a sign of evil or calamity to come the abrupt breakdown of negotiations appears to be an ill omen for this ongoing hostage situation Synonyms & Similar Words
- ominous
- sinister
- threatening
- menacing
- lonely
- bleak
- dire
- direful
- darkening
- unfortunate
- depressive
- dark
- somber
- inauspicious
- desolate
- depressing
- black
- cold
- murky
- foreboding
- portentous
- baleful
- ill-boding
- minatory
- morbid
- gray
- troubled
- unfavorable
- lonesome
- doomy
- cheerless
- miserable
- morose
- dim
- chill
- sullen
- disconsolate
- hopeless
- grey
- gloomy
- saturnine
- discouraging
- forlorn
- unlucky
- comfortless
- glum
- unpropitious
- drear
- dismal
- evil
- elegiac
- dreary
- lugubrious
- wretched
- malignant
- unpromising
- cloudy
- disheartening
- godforsaken
- plutonian
- elegiacal
- sombre
- sepulchral
- funereal
- sunless
- malign
- dreich
- tenebrific
- tenebrous
- ill-fated
- ill-starred
- star-crossed
- Cimmerian
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- favorable
- hopeful
- encouraging
- promising
- prosperous
- benign
- bright
- propitious
- golden
- unthreatening
- auspicious
- heartening
ill
2 of 3adverb
1
as in severely
in a manner so as to cause loss or suffering in those days society treated debtors very ill, even going so far as to put them in prison Synonyms & Similar Words
- severely
- harshly
- oppressively
- hard
- brutally
- sternly
- stiffly
- roughly
- strongly
- hardly
- abusively
- heartlessly
- pitilessly
- inhumanly
- grimly
- unfeelingly
- inhumanely
- unmercifully
- aggressively
- mercilessly
- ruthlessly
- callously
- savagely
- uncharitably
- insensitively
- viciously
- tyrannically
- unsparingly
- firmly
- obdurately
- brutishly
- decidedly
- hard-heartedly
- cold-bloodedly
- insensately
- resolutely
- toughly
- determinedly
- assertively
- gruffly
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- mildly
- lightly
- leniently
- kindly
- gently
- tenderly
- benevolently
- softly
- cordially
- lovingly
- considerately
- sympathetically
- graciously
- benignantly
- charitably
- compassionately
- clemently
- mercifully
- understandingly
- humanely
- tolerantly
- softheartedly
2
as in no
certainly not you can ill afford to miss another day of work Synonyms & Similar Words
- no
- never
- scarcely
- hardly
- none
- nothing
- nothing doing
- noway
- nowhere
- nowise
- no way
- on no account
- near
- by no means
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- surely
- certainly
- positively
- very
- completely
- definitely
- extremely
- terribly
- absolutely
- greatly
- quite
- awfully
- most
- awful
- exceedingly
- highly
- clearly
- mighty
- really
- immensely
- mightily
- enormously
- rather
- exceeding
- somewhat
- utterly
- assuredly
- doubtless
- perfectly
- truly
- plainly
- unquestionably
- slightly
- mostly
- unequivocally
- hugely
- hands down
- more or less
ill
3 of 3noun
1
as in illness
an abnormal state that disrupts a plant's or animal's normal bodily functioning chicken pox and the other ills that were once a fixture of childhood Synonyms & Similar Words
- illness
- disease
- ailment
- fever
- sickness
- condition
- disorder
- infection
- ail
- malady
- attack
- distemper
- bug
- infirmity
- trouble
- plague
- complication
- affection
- complaint
- contagion
- debility
- distemperature
- contagious disease
- bout
- feebleness
- unsoundness
- pestilence
- fit
- sickliness
- lameness
- epidemic
- unwellness
- unhealthiness
- spell
- malaise
- decrepitude
- pip
- contagium
- weakness
- matter
- frailness
- pest
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- health
- wellness
- fitness
- soundness
- shape
- wholesomeness
- healthiness
- wholeness
- robustness
- heartiness
- fettle
2
as in bad
that which is morally unacceptable idealistic people who try to cure all of our society's ills Synonyms & Similar Words
- bad
- evil
- wrong
- badness
- evilness
- sin
- sinfulness
- immorality
- evildoing
- villainy
- iniquity
- rot
- cancer
- vileness
- canker
- wickedness
- devilishness
- diabolism
- atrocity
- darkness
- satanism
- squalor
- heinousness
- decay
- balefulness
- iniquitousness
- deviltry
- fiendishness
- corruption
- enormity
- scurrility
- atrociousness
- depravedness
- degeneracy
- devilry
- malefaction
- indecency
- taboo
- scurrilousness
- abomination
- depravity
- debauchery
- perversion
- pervertedness
- anathema
- tabu
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- right
- good
- virtue
- morality
- goodness
- decency
- honesty
- integrity
- rectitude
- goodness
- probity
- righteousness
- uprightness
- virtuousness
3
as in misfortune
bad luck or an example of this the travelers merrily set off on their journey, scarcely imagining the ills that would befall them Synonyms & Similar Words
- misfortune
- tragedy
- hardship
- trouble
- misery
- suffering
- disaster
- accident
- adversity
- knock
- mishap
- mischance
- fate
- blow
- sorrow
- calamity
- evil
- misadventure
- catastrophe
- trial
- woe
- distress
- circumstance
- doom
- defeat
- curse
- disappointment
- unhappiness
- tribulation
- affliction
- failure
- destiny
- casualty
- setback
- cataclysm
- body blow
- fizzle
- portion
- letdown
- nonsuccess
- lot
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- luck
- opportunity
- chance
- fortune
- stroke
- break
- hit
- strike
- success
- fluke
- serendipity
- godsend
- achievement
- windfall
- accomplishment