1
2
as in harmful
causing or capable of causing harm
one of the ill effects of winter weather is the rapid spread of germs as people spend more time together indoors
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in poorly
temporarily suffering from a disorder of the body
since I'm ill, I guess that I'll just have to miss that dental appointment
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4
as in poor
falling short of a standard
such ill behavior will not be tolerated
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5
as in ominous
being or showing a sign of evil or calamity to come
the abrupt breakdown of negotiations appears to be an ill omen for this ongoing hostage situation
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1
as in severely
in a manner so as to cause loss or suffering
in those days society treated debtors very ill, even going so far as to put them in prison
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2
as in no
certainly not
you can ill afford to miss another day of work
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1
as in disease
an abnormal state that disrupts a plant's or animal's normal bodily functioning
chicken pox and the other ills that were once a fixture of childhood
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2
as in evil
that which is morally unacceptable
idealistic people who try to cure all of our society's ills
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3
as in misfortune
bad luck or an example of this
the travelers merrily set off on their journey, scarcely imagining the ills that would befall them
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of ill
Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 18 Jan. 2025
Fielding did not return to set after the Christmas break citing ill health, despite producer Big Talk Studios making adjustments to his shooting schedule and support needs.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 17 Jan. 2025
Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 7 Jan. 2025
Anyone who eats death cap mushrooms may fall ill, then appear to recover, but the poison can then cause liver failure or death, officials said.
—Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 6 Jan. 2025
Graciela Mochkofsky, The New Yorker, 8 Jan. 2025
The strict binary of this is man, this is woman has been responsible for a lot of ills.
—Lanna Apisukh, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ill 
Adjective
This was at a point where Johnny was in a little more ill health.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 18 Jan. 2025
Fielding did not return to set after the Christmas break citing ill health, despite producer Big Talk Studios making adjustments to his shooting schedule and support needs.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 17 Jan. 2025
Adverb
Of the 2,139 passengers onboard, 86 reported falling ill during the cruise, according to the CDC.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 7 Jan. 2025
Anyone who eats death cap mushrooms may fall ill, then appear to recover, but the poison can then cause liver failure or death, officials said.
—Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 6 Jan. 2025
Noun
At the center of these ills stands the island’s relationship with the mainland.
—Graciela Mochkofsky, The New Yorker, 8 Jan. 2025
The strict binary of this is man, this is woman has been responsible for a lot of ills.
—Lanna Apisukh, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ill
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill
Adjective
-
In a society where adults often come to work sick, teaching teens to take care of themselves is important.—
Maya Dollarhide,
Parents,
17 Jan. 2025
-
Other logistics issues — people getting sick, for example — add time.—
Ryan Oehrli,
Charlotte Observer,
16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Market intervention is always and everywhere harmful simply because markets are people.—
John Tamny,
Forbes,
19 Jan. 2025
-
In an October 2022 article in the Montreal Gazette, Bryn Austin, a professor at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, highlighted how BMI can lead to harmful outcomes.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
19 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Both the United States and the United Nations have stepped back from leadership roles, a reflection of how poorly interventions in Haiti have gone and also the wide range of issues in other parts of the world at the moment.—
Adam Taylor,
Washington Post,
7 Mar. 2024
-
Story will be a free agent and at this stage why would an accomplished player stay with the poorly run Rockies?—
BostonGlobe.com,
BostonGlobe.com,
27 Mar. 2021
Adjective
-
Understand that poor sleep hygiene can negatively impact the quantity and quality of sleep.—
Dominique Fluker,
Essence,
24 Jan. 2025
-
The Texans’ offensive line was mostly poor this season, unable to consistently protect Stroud.—
The Athletic NFL Staff,
The Athletic,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
His bruises caught by the window’s light, his good side cast in ominous shadow, Martian’s focus shifts from the people on the other side of the glass to the man staring back at him in it.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
24 Jan. 2025
-
The second season of The Night Agent shows Peter on the other end of the line for that ominous White House basement phone.—
Emily Blackwood,
People.com,
23 Jan. 2025
Adverb
-
Things will get no easier this week for the Hurricanes, who are 4-14 on the season and 0-7 in the ACC.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
20 Jan. 2025
-
The Ducks should be no worse than No. 3. Georgia ahead of Texas feels right, which also probably keeps the Bulldogs ahead of Penn State, which doesn’t feel quite as right.—
Ralph D. Russo,
The Athletic,
20 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Talavera, Suchan and colleagues hope that using pollen signatures to map changing migration patterns could help to predict where fungal disease outbreaks might occur. Cuvelier, meanwhile, hopes to continue counting butterflies with his granddaughter.—
Saugat Bolakhe,
JSTOR Daily,
23 Jan. 2025
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But people with damaged immune systems or lung diseases can be more vulnerable to serious respiratory infections and other infections that can be fatal.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
23 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Cooper, most troublingly, is not himself, his body used by a doppelgänger as an engine for evil.—
Esther Zuckerman,
New York Times,
17 Jan. 2025
-
Unsettling, for sure, and oftentimes evil, but the subjective always seemed to be priority for Lynch.—
Maya Ibbitson,
Architectural Digest,
17 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near ill
Cite this Entry
“Ill.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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