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
4
5
a
: not meeting an accepted standard
ill manners
b
archaic
: notably unskillful or inefficient
worse; worst
1
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
illustrated; illustration; illustrator
Illinois
Synonyms
Adjective
Adverb
Noun
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
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Recent Examples on the Web
Rana Wehbe Watson, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023
He is being held without bail in the Twin Towers Correctional Facility, a downtown jail typically used to house mentally ill detainees.
—Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 29 Nov. 2023
In 2004, Viktor A. Yushchenko, the Ukrainian opposition candidate at the time, fell ill and developed a broad array of painful and disfiguring conditions that plagued him during the final three months of the presidential campaign.
—Maria Varenikova, New York Times, 28 Nov. 2023
Redefining the role of first lady: Rosalynn Carter created the modern Office of the First Lady and advocated for better treatment of the mentally ill during her years in the White House and for four decades afterward.
—Danielle Paquette, Washington Post, 28 Nov. 2023
Two people have died and at least 99 have become ill in a salmonella outbreak involving cantaloupes and cut fruit, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
—Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 25 Nov. 2023
Babies who are seriously ill typically require medical treatment and hospitalization but are not yet suffering life-threatening conditions, while those with critical illness are suffering from life-threatening conditions.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 21 Nov. 2023
This bodes ill for the future of American medicine.
—Stanley Goldfarb, National Review, 21 Nov. 2023
So much of being seriously ill has been rebranded in American health care as a kind of adventure.
—Elisabeth Rosenthal, The Atlantic, 17 Nov. 2023
Berkeley Lovelace Jr., NBC News, 24 Nov. 2023
The father of a Taylor Swift fan who died after falling ill at the singer’s first of three shows at Rio de Janeiro’s Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos paid tribute to his daughter and vowed to find out what caused the 23-year-old student’s death.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 21 Nov. 2023
According to the Leonard Bernstein Office, the maestro and Montealegre met at a party in 1946, three years after Bernstein got his big break when he’d been asked to conduct the New York Philharmonic after the guest conductor fell ill.
—Eric Andersson, Peoplemag, 20 Nov. 2023
Fans fell ill, complained of inadequate distribution of water and said that the show was dangerously crowded.
—Terrence McCoy, Washington Post, 18 Nov. 2023
When Marín fell ill, the band called up LaBrie, 35 — whom David Miller, 50, had kept in touch with after meeting 10 years ago — to temporarily fill in.
—Daniela Avila, Peoplemag, 17 Nov. 2023
Authorities noted at an August press conference that two children were also at the luncheon but did not fall ill.
—David Chiu, Peoplemag, 2 Nov. 2023
Gerry, of Indiana, was married 43 years to his high school sweetheart, Toni, who died suddenly after falling ill from a bacterial infection in 2017.
—Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Nov. 2023
Robinson apparently fell ill on Sunday, but he was never listed on the team's injury report.
—Ryan Morik, Fox News, 26 Oct. 2023
Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2023
Monetary freedom will lead to a revolution for a pan-African global diaspora and will alleviate social ills anchored in anti-Blackness and xenophobia.
—WIRED, 16 Nov. 2023
But the Season Three finale didn’t cure all of that year’s ills.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 10 Nov. 2023
Severe damage to the ozone layer would threaten our species’ very survival, while a milder reduction would cause a variety of ills and worsen skin cancer rates.
—Matt Hrodey, Discover Magazine, 23 Oct. 2023
But the contradictions of our characters are what our characters are made of, just as the contradictions of democratic coalitions are not a temporary ill to be cured but an engine of difference to be embraced.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2023
Research published Tuesday in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, however, finds that about 22 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous activity may provide an antidote to the ills of prolonged sitting.
—Linda Carroll, NBC News, 24 Oct. 2023
But in recent years, officials have increasingly zeroed in on how tech companies could be exacerbating anxiety, depression and other mental health ills among children and teens.
—Naomi Nix, Washington Post, 24 Oct. 2023
Handing land back to nature is no silver bullet for either the world’s climate or biodiversity ills.
—WIRED, 14 Oct. 2023
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Adjective
The money will be used for state-of-the-art rooms and equipment for seriously ill children as well as to support staff education and training.
—Rana Wehbe Watson, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023
He is being held without bail in the Twin Towers Correctional Facility, a downtown jail typically used to house mentally ill detainees.
—Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 29 Nov. 2023
In 2004, Viktor A. Yushchenko, the Ukrainian opposition candidate at the time, fell ill and developed a broad array of painful and disfiguring conditions that plagued him during the final three months of the presidential campaign.
—Maria Varenikova, New York Times, 28 Nov. 2023
Redefining the role of first lady: Rosalynn Carter created the modern Office of the First Lady and advocated for better treatment of the mentally ill during her years in the White House and for four decades afterward.
—Danielle Paquette, Washington Post, 28 Nov. 2023
Two people have died and at least 99 have become ill in a salmonella outbreak involving cantaloupes and cut fruit, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
—Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 25 Nov. 2023
Babies who are seriously ill typically require medical treatment and hospitalization but are not yet suffering life-threatening conditions, while those with critical illness are suffering from life-threatening conditions.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 21 Nov. 2023
This bodes ill for the future of American medicine.
—Stanley Goldfarb, National Review, 21 Nov. 2023
So much of being seriously ill has been rebranded in American health care as a kind of adventure.
—Elisabeth Rosenthal, The Atlantic, 17 Nov. 2023
Adverb
Last year, the FDA came under scrutiny after certain powdered baby formulas were recalled after three babies fell severely ill and one died from a bacterial infection.
—Berkeley Lovelace Jr., NBC News, 24 Nov. 2023
The father of a Taylor Swift fan who died after falling ill at the singer’s first of three shows at Rio de Janeiro’s Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos paid tribute to his daughter and vowed to find out what caused the 23-year-old student’s death.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 21 Nov. 2023
According to the Leonard Bernstein Office, the maestro and Montealegre met at a party in 1946, three years after Bernstein got his big break when he’d been asked to conduct the New York Philharmonic after the guest conductor fell ill.
—Eric Andersson, Peoplemag, 20 Nov. 2023
Fans fell ill, complained of inadequate distribution of water and said that the show was dangerously crowded.
—Terrence McCoy, Washington Post, 18 Nov. 2023
When Marín fell ill, the band called up LaBrie, 35 — whom David Miller, 50, had kept in touch with after meeting 10 years ago — to temporarily fill in.
—Daniela Avila, Peoplemag, 17 Nov. 2023
Authorities noted at an August press conference that two children were also at the luncheon but did not fall ill.
—David Chiu, Peoplemag, 2 Nov. 2023
Gerry, of Indiana, was married 43 years to his high school sweetheart, Toni, who died suddenly after falling ill from a bacterial infection in 2017.
—Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Nov. 2023
Robinson apparently fell ill on Sunday, but he was never listed on the team's injury report.
—Ryan Morik, Fox News, 26 Oct. 2023
Noun
That part of us that stands in protest to the ills of the physical world is, in fact, evidence of our perpetual nature.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2023
Monetary freedom will lead to a revolution for a pan-African global diaspora and will alleviate social ills anchored in anti-Blackness and xenophobia.
—WIRED, 16 Nov. 2023
But the Season Three finale didn’t cure all of that year’s ills.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 10 Nov. 2023
Severe damage to the ozone layer would threaten our species’ very survival, while a milder reduction would cause a variety of ills and worsen skin cancer rates.
—Matt Hrodey, Discover Magazine, 23 Oct. 2023
But the contradictions of our characters are what our characters are made of, just as the contradictions of democratic coalitions are not a temporary ill to be cured but an engine of difference to be embraced.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2023
Research published Tuesday in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, however, finds that about 22 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous activity may provide an antidote to the ills of prolonged sitting.
—Linda Carroll, NBC News, 24 Oct. 2023
But in recent years, officials have increasingly zeroed in on how tech companies could be exacerbating anxiety, depression and other mental health ills among children and teens.
—Naomi Nix, Washington Post, 24 Oct. 2023
Handing land back to nature is no silver bullet for either the world’s climate or biodiversity ills.
—WIRED, 14 Oct. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ill.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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
Time Traveler
The first known use of ill was
in the 12th century
Phrases Containing ill
Dictionary Entries Near ill
Cite this Entry
“Ill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ill. Accessed 4 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
ill
1 of 3 adjective1
: 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
ill
3 of 3 noun1
: the opposite of good : evil
2
a
: sickness sense 2
childhood ills
b
: trouble entry 2 sense 1a
the ills of society
Medical Definition
Geographical Definition
Ill
geographical name
river 129 miles (208 kilometers) long in northeastern France flowing into the Rhine River
More from Merriam-Webster on ill
Nglish: Translation of ill for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of ill for Arabic Speakers
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