ill

[ il ]

See synonyms for ill on Thesaurus.com

adjective,worse, worst;ill·er, ill·est for 7.

of unsound physical or mental health; unwell; sick: She felt ill, so her teacher sent her to the nurse.
objectionable; unsatisfactory; poor; faulty: ill manners.

hostile; unkindly: ill feeling.
evil; wicked; bad: of ill repute.
unfavorable; adverse: ill fortune.
of inferior worth or ability; unskillful; inexpert: an ill example of scholarship.
Slang. great; amazing: His mom is the illest cook.

noun

an unfavorable opinion or statement: I can speak no ill of her.
harm or injury: His remarks did much ill.

trouble, distress, or misfortune: Many ills befell him.
evil: to know the difference between good and ill.
sickness or disease.

adverb

in an ill manner.
unsatisfactorily; poorly: It ill befits a man to betray old friends.

in a hostile or unfriendly manner.
unfavorably; unfortunately.
with displeasure or offense.
faultily; improperly.
with difficulty or inconvenience; scarcely: Buying a new car is an expense we can ill afford.

Idioms about ill

ill at ease, socially uncomfortable; nervous: They were ill at ease because they didn't speak the language.

Origin of ill

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

synonym study For ill

1. 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.

Grammar notes for ill

See well¹.

Other words for ill

1	unhealthy, ailing, diseased, afflicted
4	wrong, iniquitous
9	hurt, pain, affliction, misery
10	calamity
11	depravity
12	illness, affliction

See synonyms for ill on Thesaurus.com

Opposites for ill

1	well, healthy
4	good

See antonyms for ill on Thesaurus.com

Words that may be confused with ill

ill , sick (see synonym study at the current entry)

Other definitions for I'll (2 of 4)

I'll

[ ahyl ]

contraction of I will.

usage note For I'll

See contraction.

Words that may be confused with I'll

aisle, I'll , isle

Other definitions for ill. (3 of 4)

ill.

abbreviation

illustrated.
illustration.

illustrator.
most illustrious.

Origin of ill.

(def. 4) <Latin illustrissimus

Other definitions for Ill. (4 of 4)

Ill.

abbreviation

Illinois.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ill in a sentence

An more den dat, de rain fine so tillt-i-ll (prolonging the word) me hardly able to see him, he so fine!
Antigua and the Antiguans, Volume I (of 2) | Anonymous

British Dictionary definitions for ill (1 of 3)

ill

/ (ɪl) /

adjectiveworse or worst

(usually postpositive) not in good health; sick
characterized by or intending evil, harm, etc; hostile: ill deeds

causing or resulting in pain, harm, adversity, etc: ill effects
ascribing or imputing evil to something referred to: ill repute
promising an unfavourable outcome; unpropitious: an ill omen
harsh; lacking kindness: ill will
not up to an acceptable standard; faulty: ill manners
ill at ease unable to relax; uncomfortable

noun

evil or harm: to wish a person ill
a mild disease

misfortune; trouble

adverb

badly: the title ill befits him
with difficulty; hardly: he can ill afford the money

not rightly: she ill deserves such good fortune

Origin of ill

C11 (in the sense: evil): from Old Norse illr bad

British Dictionary definitions for I'll (2 of 3)

I'll

/ (aɪl) /

contraction of

I will or I shall

British Dictionary definitions for Ill. (3 of 3)

Ill.

abbreviation for

Illinois

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with ill

ill

In addition to the idioms beginning with ill

ill at ease
ill wind that blows no one any good, it's an

, also see under

get sick

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