ill 1 of 3

adjective

ˈil How to pronounce ill (audio)
Definition of illnext
1
as in sick
affected with nausea she grew ill from the constant rocking motion of the boat

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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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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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ill

2 of 3

adverb

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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ill

3 of 3

noun

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 show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ill
Adjective
Andropov died in 1984, and Gorbachev took more than a year to gain power while the Kremlin stumbled along under the caretaker regime of the grievously ill Konstantin Chernenko. — Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2026 When this support is available locally, health systems rely less on hospitals and clinics to compensate for the conditions that make people ill. — Kyle Vanelli, STAT, 14 Aug. 2026
Adverb
Oscar-winning Disney animator Glen Keane had to be hoisted to safety by a helicopter rescue team after falling ill during a mountain hike on Wednesday in Arizona. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2026 The biggest surprise in the 1,141 pages of Anthony Fauci’s diary, Kennedy told USA TODAY in an exclusive interview, is that the nation's former top infectious diseases official fell ill after getting the vaccine. — Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 30 July 2026
Noun
But that also eradicates a crucial option - to mount a show trial and scapegoat him for all the ills of his rule, thus absolving others. — Melik Kaylan, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026 Through humor, the master is about to expose humanity's ills. — Rance Collins, Entertainment Weekly, 28 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for ill
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill
  1. sick
  2. harmful
  3. poorly
  4. poor
  5. ominous
  6. severely
  7. no
  8. disease
Adjective
  • Between 60% and 70% of new Ebola cases are being detected among people who were not already being monitored as contacts, meaning health workers may only discover infections after patients become sick and have had opportunities to expose others.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026
  • News host had brain surgery to remove a tumor, her mother got diagnosed with brain cancer, her younger brother, Peter, suffered injuries from a car accident, and her father got very sick a week before her wedding.
    — Diane J. Cho, PEOPLE, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of sick
Adjective
  • These spurious claims about childhood vaccines will only increase vaccine hesitation with harmful results.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 13 Aug. 2026
  • One reason for this is that peppermint oil has known antimicrobial properties and can destroy harmful microorganisms.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of harmful
Adjective
  • 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
  • This involves having a poorly or non-functioning colon and is not usually reversible.
    — Dr. John De Jong, Boston Herald, 17 Aug. 2025
Definition of poorly
Adjective
  • But tensions have opened up between data center boosters and some community organizations that want to see more jobs and economic benefits go to local residents, especially predominantly poor Hispanic farm and food processing workers.
    — Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Conventional wisdom usually attributes those failures to changing markets, disruptive competitors, or poor leadership.
    — Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of poor
Adjective
  • That ominous focus runs beneath the trailer, beneath the guns, frantic confrontations, cars, and glimpses of a family suddenly forced to look over its shoulder.
    — Sophie Miller, Rolling Stone, 10 Aug. 2026
  • While the socialist threat is most ominous in the Democratic party, Republicans are doing themselves no good in this ideological battle by having the federal government take equity positions in private companies.
    — Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of ominous
Adverb
  • The Houthis have vowed to close the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, a narrow waterway through which Saudi Arabia exports up to 7 million barrels of oil a day, now that access to the Strait of Hormuz is severely restricted.
    — Paul Tilsley, FOXNews.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Lower-income households feel these pressures more severely, since gas represents a larger proportional share of the budget.
    — Catherine Brock, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of severely
Adverb
  • The iPhone provides Apple with the lion's share of the market, and the iPhone 18 Pro will be no different.
    — Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Welch is known for his preference to form these Democrat-only private groups, and this one is no different — except that two of the Democrats Welch asked to join the group have declined.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of no
Noun
  • The study’s findings also highlight the need for physicians to be alert to early signs of disease and consider blood pressure treatment, even in younger people, according to Freeman.
    — Sandee LaMotte, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Etzel noted that the order makes several significant changes, which include reducing the number of diseases targeted by childhood vaccines and separating the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine into individual shots.
    — Adisa Hargett-Robinson, The Washington Examiner, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of disease

Phrases Containing ill

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ilks
ill
ill-advised
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Cite this Entry

“Ill.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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