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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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of ill
Jake Kanter, Deadline, 18 Feb. 2026
From the far northeastern province of Badakhshan, the young mother of two was bounced around hospitals there and in the northern city of Kunduz as doctors struggled to treat her gravely ill baby, suffering from a heart problem and severe pneumonia compounded by malnutrition.
—ABC News, 18 Feb. 2026
Yahya Abou-Ghazala, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
While John is overjoyed to see his free-spirited cousin, who drove her carriage from Scotland after her coachman fell ill, Francesca appears noticeably shaken by Michaela’s unexpected visit.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026
James Vincent, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Certainly, in the past several years, the app has been blamed for any number of contemporary social ills.
—Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 27 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ill
Adjective
Rendering examines how artificial intelligence is disrupting the entertainment industry, taking you inside key battlegrounds and spotlighting change makers wielding the technology for good and ill.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 18 Feb. 2026
From the far northeastern province of Badakhshan, the young mother of two was bounced around hospitals there and in the northern city of Kunduz as doctors struggled to treat her gravely ill baby, suffering from a heart problem and severe pneumonia compounded by malnutrition.
—ABC News, 18 Feb. 2026
Adverb
The conduct of those two agents, from the earliest moments interacting with demonstrators up through their decision to pull weapons and fire at Pretti, illustrate the dangers of flooding American cities with officers ill-equipped to deal with protesters in urban environments, experts told CNN.
—Yahya Abou-Ghazala, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
While John is overjoyed to see his free-spirited cousin, who drove her carriage from Scotland after her coachman fell ill, Francesca appears noticeably shaken by Michaela’s unexpected visit.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026
Noun
As a result of her work with AMRs, Wise avoids framing humanoids as some sort of industrial panacea for every economic ill, from labor shortages to manufacturing bottlenecks.
—James Vincent, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Certainly, in the past several years, the app has been blamed for any number of contemporary social ills.
—Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 27 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ill
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill
Adjective
-
Olsky's mother, under 70 pounds and nine months pregnant, was put in the sick car on the train, surrounded by sick and dying women.—
Lesley Stahl,
CBS News,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Edgar finds them together, gets angry and Cathy gets even sicker.—
Meg Walters,
Glamour,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Ultimately, however, Kato said, the goal should not be to replace one plastic bead with a less harmful one.—
TRAVIS LOLLER,
Arkansas Online,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Keep an eye out for any legitimate potential problems, especially those involving money, but there’s no need to assume harmful intentions.—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
This fragmented model creates friction and quietly drains profitability through unbilled hours, margin erosion from poorly staffed projects and elevated turnover when top talent hits operational roadblocks.—
DJ Paoni,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
For however poorly things are going — and the bad tone set by the starters has leaked into some defensive lapses and some pressing at the plate — the Padres got themselves into a really favorable position before this.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Policymakers globally are increasingly worried that the unequal adoption of AI risks widening income and development gaps between rich and poor countries.—
Hanna Ziady,
CNN Money,
18 Feb. 2026
-
In November, Jesse Jackon was hospitalized again after suffering a fall while protesting poor campus living conditions with students at Howard University.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
If the sky turns ominous and thunder can be heard, find a secure place for shelter.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
16 Feb. 2026
-
The image finds the actors during an ominous twilight hour somewhere in coastal Taiwan.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Herb said the industry plans for an average winter, not a mild or a severely cold one.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Otherwise, utility crews will be forced to prune it severely for safety’s sake.—
Beth Botts,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
The right pair of boots can be the perfect finishing touch to any all-black outfit, no matter how simple or intricate.—
Shelby Comroe,
InStyle,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Meanwhile, the plane donated by Qatar that the Air Force is refurbishing is expected to be ready for use as Air Force One no later than this summer.—
Jennifer Jacobs,
CBS News,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
After whooping cough vaccinations declined in Dallas County over the last year, the preventable disease spiked to the highest numbers of infections officials have seen in over a decade, Huang said.—
Lauren Mascarenhas,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Harm reduction can encompass a range of practices, including handing out free needles to slow the spread of disease, and many local leaders credit some of those efforts with recent drops in fatal overdoses.—
Blake Nelson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ill.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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