ill

¹ American  

[il] / ɪl /

adjective

worse, worst iller, illest

1. of unsound physical or mental health; unwell; sick.

   She felt ill, so her teacher sent her to the nurse.

   Synonyms:

   afflicted , diseased , ailing , unhealthy

   Antonyms:

   healthy , well

2. objectionable; unsatisfactory; poor; faulty.

   ill manners.

3. hostile; unkindly.

   ill feeling.

4. evil; wicked; bad.

   of ill repute.

   Synonyms:

   iniquitous , wrong

   Antonyms:

   good

5. unfavorable; adverse.

   ill fortune.

6. of inferior worth or ability; unskillful; inexpert.

   an ill example of scholarship.

7. Slang.  great; amazing.

   His mom is the illest cook.

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noun

1. an unfavorable opinion or statement.

   I can speak no ill of her.

2. harm or injury.

   His remarks did much ill.

   Synonyms:

   misery , affliction , pain , hurt

3. trouble, distress, or misfortune.

   Many ills befell him.

   Synonyms:

   calamity

4. evil.

   to know the difference between good and ill.

   Synonyms:

   depravity

5. sickness or disease.

   Synonyms:

   affliction , illness

adverb

1. in an ill manner.

2. unsatisfactorily; poorly.

   It ill befits a man to betray old friends.

3. in a hostile or unfriendly manner.

4. unfavorably; unfortunately.

5. with displeasure or offense.

6. faultily; improperly.

7. with difficulty or inconvenience; scarcely.

   Buying a new car is an expense we can ill afford.

idioms

1. ill at ease,  socially uncomfortable; nervous.

   They were ill at ease because they didn't speak the language.

I'll ² American  

[ahyl] / aɪl /

1. contraction of I will.

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ill. ³ American  

abbreviation

1. illustrated.

2. illustration.

3. illustrator.

4. most illustrious.

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Ill. ⁴ American  

abbreviation

1. Illinois.

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ill ¹ British  

/ ɪl /

adjective

1. (usually postpositive) not in good health; sick

2. characterized by or intending evil, harm, etc; hostile

   ill deeds

3. causing or resulting in pain, harm, adversity, etc

   ill effects

4. ascribing or imputing evil to something referred to

   ill repute

5. promising an unfavourable outcome; unpropitious

   an ill omen

6. harsh; lacking kindness

   ill will

7. not up to an acceptable standard; faulty

   ill manners

8. unable to relax; uncomfortable

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noun

1. evil or harm

   to wish a person ill

2. a mild disease

3. misfortune; trouble

adverb

1. badly

   the title ill befits him

2. with difficulty; hardly

   he can ill afford the money

3. not rightly

   she ill deserves such good fortune

Ill. ² British  

abbreviation

1. Illinois

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I'll ³ British  

/ aɪl /

contraction

1. I will or I shall

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ill More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing ill

• get sick

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Grammar

See well ¹.

Usage

What are other ways to say ill? The adjective ill is defined as “evil; wicked; bad.” However, it’s not used in exactly the same way as any of those synonyms! Learn the difference among these terms on Thesaurus.com.

Related Words

Ill, sick mean being in bad health, not being well. Ill is the more formal word. In the U.S. the two words are used practically interchangeably except that sick is always used when the word modifies the following noun: He looks sick ( ill ); a sick person. In England, sick is not interchangeable with ill, but usually has the connotation of nauseous: She got sick and threw up. sick, however, is used before nouns just as in the U.S.: a sick man.

Etymology

Origin of ill¹

1150–1200; Middle English ill ( e ) (noun and adj.) < Old Norse illr (adj.) ill, bad

Origin of ill.³

ill. ( def. 4 ) < Latin illustrissimus

Example Sentences

He also promised to push ahead with reforming the welfare system, which he said had "trapped people in poverty" and "wrote young people off as too ill to work".

From BBC

An investigation has been launched after several children attending the same primary school fell ill with an infection.

From BBC

The Prince of Wales has visited a number of severely ill children from Gaza being treated by the NHS, a Kensington Palace spokesperson says.

From BBC

Her post on Facebook read: "My wish is for my boys to make as many memories as they can together as time is precious as their middle brother is terminally ill."

From BBC

People who are ill may be down, stressed or angry.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• abuse
• affliction
• ailment
• disease
• disorder
• evil
• illness
• infirmity
• malady
• malaise
• misery
• pain
• sickness
• suffering
• syndrome
• trouble
• woe