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 for 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
SYNONYMS FOR ill
1 unhealthy, ailing, diseased, afflicted.
4 wrong, iniquitous.
9 hurt, pain, affliction, misery.
10 calamity.
11 depravity.
12 illness, affliction.
14 badly.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR ill ON THESAURUS.COM
ANTONYMS FOR ill
1 well, healthy.
4 good.
SEE ANTONYMS FOR ill ON THESAURUS.COM
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.4. See bad1.
grammar notes for ill
See well1.
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ill
ill , sick1 (see synonym study at the current entry)
A study in the Netherlands found that most patients who have been ill for 10 days are already making their own antibodies against the virus.
COVID-19 plasma treatments may be safe, but we don’t know if they work|Tina Hesman Saey|August 25, 2020|Science News
None have been proven yet, and much of the federal and private funding for clinical trials has gone for treating the severely ill.
New treatments aim to treat COVID-19 early, before it gets serious|Tina Hesman Saey|August 24, 2020|Science News
In places where most people wore masks, those who did get infected seemed dramatically less likely to get severely ill compared to places with less mask-wearing.
Cloth Masks Do Protect The Wearer – Breathing In Less Coronavirus Means You Get Less Sick|LGBTQ-Editor|August 20, 2020|No Straight News
The following day he felt ill and tested positive for the coronavirus.
Tracing Homophobia In South Korea’s Coronavirus Surveillance Program|LGBTQ-Editor|June 18, 2020|No Straight News
Volunteers who were either ill, recovered or healthy all coughed at about the same velocity.
Six foot social-distancing will not always be enough for COVID-19|Tina Hesman Saey|April 23, 2020|Science News For Students
They had rarely seen their own fathers carry small children unless their mothers were ill.
How Good Dads Can Change the World|Gary Barker, PhD, Michael Kaufman|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
David Prowse, the actor who portrayed Darth Vader, wished to come back but had to turn down the role because of ill health.
Juiciest ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Rumors (and Some Debunked Ones)|Rich Goldstein|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The more I become dissipated, ill, a broken pitcher, the more I too become a creative artist in that great revival of art.
Decoding Vincent Van Gogh’s Tempestuous, Fragile Mind|Nick Mafi|December 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was way too ill to visit the set and all that, but was very curious about the film.
Idris Elba on Eric Garner, ‘Mi Mandela,’ and Selling Weed to Dave Chappelle|Marlow Stern|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One of the last great rascal pols, Marion Barry left his mark—for good and ill—on Washington, D.C., and the country.
Despite Crack and Graft, D.C. Loved ‘Hizzoner’ Marion Barry|Lloyd Grove|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I was driven to take refuge in a miserable little place, where I fared as ill as possible.
Sketches in Canada, and rambles among the red men|Anna Brownell Jameson
She was so ill that it was impossible for them to consider in how far she was to blame for what had happened.
War and Peace|Leo Tolstoy
A consultation then takes place, and they may think that the word is "ill."
My Book of Indoor Games|Clarence Squareman
Then there were long strings of neutral days when you did not think well of life, or ill of it.
Steel|Charles Rumford Walker
And it might so easily have been the other way—Emil who was ill and Amedee who was sad!
O Pioneers!|Willa Cather
British Dictionary definitions for ill (1 of 3)
ill
/ (ɪl) /
adjectiveworseorworst
(usually postpositive)not in good health; sick
characterized by or intending evil, harm, etc; hostileill deeds
causing or resulting in pain, harm, adversity, etcill effects
ascribing or imputing evil to something referred toill repute
promising an unfavourable outcome; unpropitiousan ill omen
harsh; lacking kindnessill will
not up to an acceptable standard; faultyill manners
ill at easeunable to relax; uncomfortable
noun
evil or harmto wish a person ill
a mild disease
misfortune; trouble
adverb
badlythe title ill befits him
with difficulty; hardlyhe can ill afford the money