ill

¹

[ il ]

adjective

iller illest worse worst

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 for

1. illustrated.
2. illustration.
3. illustrator.
4. most illustrious.

Ill.

⁴

abbreviation for

1. Illinois.

Ill.

¹

abbreviation for

1. Illinois

I'll

²

/ aɪl /

contraction of

1. I will or I shall

ill

³

/ 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. ill at ease
   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

Usage Note

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

Most known bird extinctions have happened on islands, where populations are small and ill prepared for new threats, such as hunting, introduced predators, and diseases.

From Science Magazine

A British woman, an Australian woman, a US man and two Danish nationals have died, while another Australian woman remains critically ill in hospital.

From BBC

The women, who had all stayed with their children at the hospital, were accused of making their children ill by administering unprescribed drugs and by deliberately contaminating their feeding lines with faecal material.

From BBC

New Zealand’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday that its embassy in Bangkok, which oversees Laos, had been contacted by a citizen who was ill and had likely suffered methanol poisoning in Laos.

From New York Times

Washington said that at the time he felt he “had to” drink and was bitter about the loss, though he holds no ill will toward the since-disgraced Spacey for taking home the Oscar.

From Los Angeles Times

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.