ilk

¹ American  

[ilk] / ɪlk /

noun

1. family, class, or kind.

   he and all his ilk.

---

adjective

1. same.

idioms

1. of that ilk,

   1. (in Scotland) of the same family name or place.

      Ross of that ilk, i.e., Ross of Ross.

   2. of the same class or kind.

ilk ² American  

[ilk] / ɪlk /

pronoun

1. each.

---

adjective

1. each; every.

ilk ¹ British  

/ ɪlk /

noun

1. a type; class; sort (esp in the phrase of that, his, her, etc, ilk )

   people of that ilk should not be allowed here

2. of the place of the same name: used to indicate that the person named is proprietor or laird of the place named

   Moncrieff of that ilk

---

ilk ² British  

/ ɪlk, ˈɪlkə /

determiner

1. each; every

---

Usage

Although the use of ilk in the sense of sense 1 is sometimes condemned as being the result of a misunderstanding of the original Scottish expression of that ilk , it is nevertheless well established and generally acceptable

Etymology

Origin of ilk¹

before 900; Middle English ilke, Old English ilca (pronoun) the same, equivalent to demonstrative i (cognate with Gothic is he, Latin is that) + a reduced form of līc like ¹; cf. which, such

Origin of ilk²

before 900; Middle English ilk, north variant of ilch, Old English ylc (pronoun) each

Explanation

Ilk is a certain type of person, usually a type you don't care for. The word is used in sentences like "I'm tired of you and your ilk! When you say "you and your ilk," you mean "you and everyone just like you." And that's not usually meant in a nice way. You probably wouldn't talk about Nelson Mandela and his ilk — ilk sounds negative. Usually, you're talking about a criminal and his ilk, or a crooked politician and his ilk. If someone is talking about your ilk, it might be time to get new friends or change your ways.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ilk

For all the cult-like posture of the Marvel/DC worlds, this is silly stuff, if no sillier than any other of its ilk.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Hilton, Lohan and their ilk infiltrated these scenes as well, and to hear Willetts tell it, the music and imagery that came out of both influenced the nightlife aesthetics everywhere, especially in the U.K.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

Unfortunately for Carville and his ilk, that’s exactly why so many young progressives were tuning in to his stream in the first place.

From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2026

Flipping through them three decades on, she realized what made dELiA*s and its ilk so different from the other mail-order catalogs that materialized every few months in her family’s mail pile like L.L.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026

The weather must be his doing—his and his ilk.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir