ill

¹

[il]

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.

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.

I'll

²

[ahyl]

1. contraction of I will.

ill.

³

abbreviation

1. illustrated.

2. illustration.

3. illustrator.

4. most illustrious.

Ill.

⁴

abbreviation

1. Illinois.

ill

¹

/ 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

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

abbreviation

1. Illinois

I'll

³

/ aɪl /

contraction

1. I will or I shall

Usage

See contraction.

Grammar Note

See well ¹.

Word History and Origins

Origin of ill¹

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

Origin of ill²

ill. ( def. 4 ) < Latin illustrissimus

Word History and Origins

Origin of ill¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. ill at ease, socially uncomfortable; nervous.

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

More idioms and phrases containing ill

• get sick

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

Lawyers told ProPublica that determining ill intent would be key to prosecute.

From Salon

Ojeh and Jones met during the late 1990s on the campus of Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., when she was walking to class and he was a high school senior visiting campus.

From Los Angeles Times

“It’s a health issue, first and foremost,” said Nazarian, who pointed out that the effects of extreme heat fall disproportionately on vulnerable populations like those who are chronically ill.

From Los Angeles Times

But these advances are for treating ill health, rather than keeping people alive to 150.

From BBC

The King's trip to Birmingham, his first engagement of the autumn, had previously been postponed after he'd been taken ill with an adverse response to his cancer treatment.

From BBC

Related Words

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

When To Use

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.