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The Old English pronoun ilca is the predecessor of the modern noun ilk, but by way of a pronoun ilk that does not exist in most dialects of modern English. That ilk is synonymous with same, and persists in Scots where it's used in the phrase of that ilk, meaning "of the same place, territorial designation, or name." It is used chiefly in reference to the names of land-owning families and their eponymous estates, as in "the Guthries of that ilk," which means "the Guthries of Guthrie." Centuries ago a misunderstanding arose concerning the Scots phrase: it was interpreted as meaning "of that kind or sort," a usage that found its way into modern English. Ilk has been established in English with its current meaning and part of speech since the late 18th century.
Synonyms
Examples of ilk in a Sentence
Manuel Betancourt, Vulture, 1 Feb. 2024
The attacks were a gift to peddlers of xenophobia, white supremacism, and Christian nationalism: as dark-skinned Muslim foreigners bent on murdering Americans, al Qaeda terrorists and their ilk seemed to have stepped out of a far-right fever dream.
—Cynthia Miller-Idriss, Foreign Affairs, 24 Aug. 2021
Like many of its ilk, the company added social purpose to its business model, initially donating a percentage of sales to AFRIpads, a maker of reusable pads for women and schoolgirls in Uganda.
—Lila MacLellan, Fortune, 28 May 2024
Among that ilk was Michael Kenneally, a mischievous Irish butler employed for decades by my cousin, Sir Tatton Sykes, at his country estate, Sledmere, in the county of Yorkshire.
—Plum Sykes, New York Times, 14 May 2024
Jackson has never played with a dominant feature back of Henry’s ilk, and his arrival comes just one season after offensive coordinator Todd Monken was hired to transform Baltimore from a heavy, ground-and-pound scheme to a more wide-open, spread attack.
—Brian Wacker, Baltimore Sun, 25 Mar. 2024
But as hospital-at-home and its ilk gain popularity, the care taking place at home is becoming more acute and complex.
—Jessica Kim, Fortune, 21 May 2024
And democratized music production due to GarageBand and its ilk has made possible the global ascent of DIY artists who could never have afforded to work in traditional studios.
—Michael Gallant, Billboard, 15 May 2024
But Agatha and other shows of its ilk may have been too far along for Iger to cancel.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 8 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ilk.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near ilk
Cite this Entry
“Ilk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ilk. Accessed 18 Jun. 2024.
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