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Synonyms

ill will

American  

noun

  1. hostile feeling; malevolence; enmity.

    to harbor ill will against someone.
    Synonyms:
    unfriendliness, antipathy, animosity, hostility, hatred
    Antonyms:
    benevolence
ill will British  

noun

  1. hostile feeling; enmity; antagonism

"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 Word Forms

  • ill-willed adjective

Etymology

Origin of ill will

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

That means telling him that you wish him well and bear him no ill will.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 25, 2026

Ms Dzafce has apologised for the photo, noting it has "caused ill will in many people".

From BBC • Dec. 16, 2025

And Hoekstra has signaled that there is still an abundance of ill will.

From Salon • Dec. 2, 2025

I love how the invocation sets a calm, cooperative, even loving tone at a time when too many civic gatherings in this country are torn by ill will, short tempers, sometimes violence.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 23, 2025

Clancy’s posture relaxed, and when he touched me again, flicking my braid back over my shoulder, there was no ill will behind it.

From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.