ill

1 of 5

adjective

ˈil 

worse ˈwərs  ; worst ˈwərst 

1

a comparative also iller; superlative also illest

(1)

: not in good health

also : nauseated

(2)

: not normal or sound

ill health

b

: causing suffering or distress

ill weather

2

: unfriendly, hostile

ill feeling

3

a

: not suited to circumstances or not to one's advantage : unlucky

an ill omen

b

: involving difficulty : hard

4

a

: attributing evil or an objectionable quality

held an ill opinion of his neighbors

b

: resulting from, accompanied by, or indicative of an evil or malevolent intention

ill deeds

c

chiefly Scotland : immoral, vicious

5

a

: not meeting an accepted standard

ill manners

b

archaic : notably unskillful or inefficient

ill

2 of 5

adverb

worse; worst

1

a

: in a faulty, inefficient, insufficient, or unpleasant manner

—often used in combination

the methods used may be ill-adapted to the aims in view

—R. M. Hutchins

b

: in an unfortunate manner : badly, unluckily

ill fares the land … where wealth accumulates, and men decay

—Oliver Goldsmith

2

: hardly, scarcely

can ill afford such extravagances

3

a

: so as to reflect unfavorably

spoke ill of the neighbors

b

: with displeasure or hostility

c

: in a harsh manner

4

: in a reprehensible manner

ill

3 of 5

noun

1

a

: misfortune, distress

b(1)

: ailment, sickness

(2)

: something that disturbs or afflicts : trouble

economic and social ills

2

: something that reflects unfavorably

spoke no ill of him

3

: the reverse of good : evil

ill

4 of 5

abbreviation (1)

illustrated; illustration; illustrator

Ill

5 of 5

abbreviation (2)

Illinois

Synonyms

Adjective

• nauseated
• nauseous
• qualmish
• queasy
• queazy
• queer
• queerish
• sick
• sickish
• squeamish

Adverb

• brutally
• hard
• hardly
• harshly
• oppressively
• roughly
• severely
• sternly
• stiffly

Noun

• affection
• ail
• ailment
• bug
• complaint
• complication
• condition
• disease
• disorder
• distemper
• distemperature
• fever
• illness
• infirmity
• malady
• sickness
• trouble

Examples of ill in a Sentence

Adjective

That dog can eat almost anything with no ill effects.

They had been subjected to months of ill treatment.

Adverb

He is being ill served by his advisers.

Please don't think ill of me.

He was a good man who never spoke ill of anyone.

Noun

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Despite being the first state in the country with a dedicated hospice facility, Connecticut is the only of these three states without robust infrastructure to support seriously ill children and families in their homes. —Elizabeth Broden, Hartford Courant, 17 Feb. 2025

And while most people will make a full recovery after falling ill from Bacillus cereus — or not even become ill in the first place when exposed to a small amount — the bacteria can be deadly to vulnerable populations like young children and the elderly as well as those who are immunocompromised. —Toria Sheffield, People.com, 16 Feb. 2025

Adverb

That didn't become apparent until Beans fell ill earlier this year and, as a purely precautionary measure, . —Jack Beresford, Newsweek, 16 Feb. 2025

Prosecutors argued and investigators testified that Natalie killed Michael to prevent her Ponzi scheme from being exposed at a bank meeting scheduled the day Michael fell ill. —Doc Louallen, ABC News, 14 Feb. 2025

Noun

The superrich have always wielded inordinate economic and social power and, as such, have plenty of historical ills to answer for. —Brian Klaas, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2025

The latest example is Tony Scholes, the Premier League’s chief football officer, who commented at a media event this week that officials may crack down on one of the modern game’s great ills: goal celebrations. —Nick Miller, The Athletic, 6 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Old Norse illr

First Known Use

Adjective

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4c

Adverb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3b

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Phrases Containing ill

• bad/ill feelings
• bode ill
• for good and for ill
• house of ill repute
• ill-advised
• ill afford
• ill-assorted
• ill at ease
• ill-begotten
• ill-being
• ill-boding
• ill-bred
• ill-conceived
• ill-considered
• ill-defined
• ill-disposed
• ill effects
• ill-equipped
• ill-fated
• ill-favored
• ill feeling/feelings
• ill-gotten
• ill-humored
• ill-informed
• ill-judged
• ill-mannered
• ill-natured
• ill repute
• ill-sorted
• ill-starred
• ill-suited
• ill-tempered
• ill-timed
• ill-treat
• ill-usage
• ill-use
• ill will
• ill-wisher
• physically ill
• terminally ill
• violently ill
• with bad/ill grace
• woman of ill repute

Kids Definition

ill

1 of 3 adjective

ˈil 

worse ˈwərs  ; worst ˈwərst 

1

: meant to do harm or evil

ill deeds

2

a

: causing suffering or distress

ill weather

b

: not normal or sound

ill health

c

: not being in good health

had been ill for some years

d

: affected by nausea

3

: not helpful to one : unlucky

an ill omen

4

: not right or proper

ill manners

5

: not kind or friendly

ill feeling

never said an ill word

ill

2 of 3 adverb

worse; worst

1

a

: with displeasure or anger

the remark was ill received

b

: in a harsh manner

treated me ill

2

: in a way that deserves blame

an ill-spent youth

ill-gotten gains

3

: hardly sense 3, scarcely

can ill afford it

4

: in a faulty way : badly, poorly

ill-prepared to face the winter

ill

3 of 3 noun

1

: the opposite of good : evil

2

a

: sickness sense 2

childhood ills

b

: trouble entry 2 sense 1a

the ills of society

Medical Definition

ill

1 of 2 adjective

ˈil 

worse ˈwərs  also iller ˈil-ər  ; worst ˈwərst 

1

: affected with some ailment : not in good health

incurably ill with cancer

—Time

mentally ill

2

: affected with nausea often to the point of vomiting

thought she would be ill after the ride on the roller coaster

ill

2 of 2 noun

: ailment, sickness

chicken pox and other ills of childhood

Geographical Definition

Ill

geographical name

ˈēl 

river 129 miles (208 kilometers) long in northeastern France flowing into the Rhine River