ill Meaning & Definition
What Does Ill Mean?
Ill is an adjective that means not in good health. It is also used to mean nauseated. As an adverb, it means in a faulty, inefficient, insufficient, or unpleasant manner. As a noun, it means misfortune, distress.
Ill: Key Facts
| Part of speech | adjective, adverb, noun, abbreviation, geographical name |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈil/ |
| Synonyms | light, distress and giddy |
| Antonyms | good, well and settled |
Ill Definition (Adjective)
- not in good health
staying home because I'm ill
- nauseated
- not normal or sound
ill health
- causing suffering or distress
ill weather / subjected to ill treatment
- unfriendly, hostile
comments that caused some ill feelings
- not suited to circumstances or not to one's advantage : unlucky
an ill omen
- involving difficulty : hard
- attributing evil or an objectionable quality
held an ill opinion of his neighbors
- resulting from, accompanied by, or indicative of an evil or malevolent intention
ill deeds
- immoral, vicious
- not meeting an accepted standard
ill manners
- notably unskillful or inefficient
Ill as an Adverb
- in a faulty, inefficient, insufficient, or unpleasant manner
- in an unfortunate manner : badly, unluckily
Ill fares the land … where wealth accumulates, and men decay.
- hardly, scarcely
can ill afford such extravagances
- so as to reflect unfavorably
spoke ill of the neighbors
- with displeasure or hostility
… took it ill that this request should be made to her …
- in a harsh manner
- in a reprehensible manner
… a man of bad character, who had used her ill …
Ill as a Noun
- misfortune, distress
did not wish ill on anyone
- ailment, sickness
had a cure for every ill
- something that disturbs or afflicts : trouble
economic and social ills
- something that reflects unfavorably
spoke no ill of him
- the reverse of good : evil
Ill as an Abbreviation
- illustrated; illustration; illustrator
Abbreviation
- Illinois
Ill as a Geographical Name
- river 129 miles (208 kilometers) long in northeastern France flowing into the Rhine River
Adjective
- of more inferior quality, value, or condition
- more unfavorable, difficult, unpleasant, or painful
- more faulty, unsuitable, or incorrect
- less skillful or efficient
- bad, evil, or corrupt in a greater degree : more reprehensible
- being in poorer health : sicker
Adverb
- in a worse manner : to a worse extent or degree
- what is worse
Adjective
- most corrupt, bad, evil, or ill
his worst fault
- most unfavorable, difficult, unpleasant, or painful
the worst news / your worst enemy
- most unsuitable, faulty, unattractive, or ill-conceived
has the worst table manners
- least skillful or efficient
the worst person for the job
- most wanting in quality, value, or condition
the worst results
Adverb
- to the extreme degree of badness or inferiority
the worst dressed person
- to the greatest or highest degree
… groups who need the subsidies worst lose out …
Synonyms of Ill
Antonyms of Ill
Ill in a Sentence
Music won't solve all the world's ills, but it can make them easier to bear.
I wouldn't want you to do me ill.
I am incapacitated by rheumatism and other ills.
He suffered from ill treatment.
ill manners; ill will
I've been ill with the flu for the past few days.
Seeing those pictures made me ill.
That band was ill.
staying home because I'm ill
ill health
ill weather
subjected to ill treatment
comments that caused some ill feelings
an ill omen
held an ill opinion of his neighbors
ill deeds
ill manners
Ill fares the land … where wealth accumulates, and men decay.
can ill afford such extravagances
spoke ill of the neighbors
… took it ill that this request should be made to her …
… a man of bad character, who had used her ill …
did not wish ill on anyone
had a cure for every ill
economic and social ills
spoke no ill of him
his worst fault
the worst news
your worst enemy
has the worst table manners
the worst person for the job
the worst results
the worst dressed person
… groups who need the subsidies worst lose out …
she grew ill from the constant rocking motion of the boat
one of the ill effects of winter weather is the rapid spread of germs as people spend more time together indoors
since I'm ill, I guess that I'll just have to miss that dental appointment
such ill behavior will not be tolerated
the abrupt breakdown of negotiations appears to be an ill omen for this ongoing hostage situation
in those days society treated debtors very ill, even going so far as to put them in prison
you can ill afford to miss another day of work
chicken pox and the other ills that were once a fixture of childhood
idealistic people who try to cure all of our society's ills
the travelers merrily set off on their journey, scarcely imagining the ills that would befall them
ill weather / subjected to ill treatment
the worst news / your worst enemy
Word Forms & Grammar
worse
worst
ill
iller
illest
worser
ills
Ill
bad
badly
illy
Words That Rhyme With Ill
Origin of Ill
Origin 1: Middle English, from Old Norse illr
Origin 2: Middle English werse, worse, from Old English wiersa, wyrsa; akin to Old High German wirsiro worse
Origin 3: Middle English werste, worste, from Old English wierresta, wyrsta, superlative of the root of Old English wiersa worse
First Known Use
12th century
13th century
before 12th century
Questions People Ask About Ill
Is ill an adjective or an adverb?
Ill is mainly used as an adjective, but it can also be used as an adverb, a noun, an abbreviation and a geographical name.
What is another word for ill?
Close synonyms of ill are light, distress and giddy. See the full list of ill synonyms and antonyms.