ill

1 of 5

adjective

ˈil 

worse ˈwərs  ; worst ˈwərst 

1

a comparative also iller; superlative also illest

(1)

: not in good health

staying home because I'm ill

also : nauseated

(2)

: not normal or sound

ill health

b

: causing suffering or distress

ill weather

subjected to ill treatment

2

: unfriendly, hostile

comments that caused some ill feelings

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

… took it ill that this request should be made to her …

—William Thackeray

c

: in a harsh manner

4

: in a reprehensible manner

… a man of bad character, who had used her ill …

—Anthony Trollope

ill

3 of 5

noun

1

a

: misfortune, distress

did not wish ill on anyone

b(1)

: ailment, sickness

had a cure for every ill

(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 of ill

Adjective

• sick

Adverb

• severely
• harshly
• oppressively
• hard

Noun

• disease
• illness
• ailment
• fever
• sickness
• condition

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

According to the team, the soldiers at these sites could have become seriously ill from dehydration during summer Giardia outbreaks, which are often linked to contaminated water and can spread rapidly. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 19 Dec. 2025

He was released on a temporary basis in February 2023 from Tehran’s Evin jail due to ill health and placed under house arrest. —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 19 Dec. 2025

Adverb

There is no word on how many students fell ill, but on Friday, the health department said the number of students has grown. —Stephanie Stahl, CBS News, 12 Dec. 2025

Dorit is trying to solve it by sending her kids to visit her parents in Florida for a few weeks, but PK, an ill-fitting thong made out of an alligator’s taint skin, has blocked it just to torture her. —Brian Moylan, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2025

Noun

There are people like myself who don’t agree with the extreme policies of both parties realizing that neither side has all the answers to solve the nation’s ills. —Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 12 Dec. 2025

An expensive renovation to raise its foundation protected Samy’s studio from the elements; high above it all, the veranda provided a stunning, unobstructed view of poverty and all its ills. —Literary Hub, 5 Dec. 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

Rhymes for ill

• bill
• brill
• chill
• drill
• fil
• fill
• frill
• gill
• grill
• grille
• jill
• kill

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

chickenpox 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