ILL-NATURED Synonyms: 83 Similar and Opposite Words

ill-natured

adjective

ˈil-ˈnā-chərd

Definition of ill-natured

as in irritable

having or showing a habitually bad temper an ill-natured and unpleasant old horse that sometimes bites

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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-natured Annalise, the most ill-natured guest to embark on the Bravado since the legendary Carlos, complains about the absence of truffles (not in season) on her pasta. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 20 Jan. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill-natured

Adjective

Skipping meals can negatively affect blood sugar levels and leave you feeling hungry, irritable, and unable to pay attention.

— Mira Miller, Verywell Health, 12 Aug. 2026
Bill Murray plays Phil Connors, an irritable, cynical weatherman sent to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to report a story about the town’s quaint groundhog ceremony.

— David Faris, TheWeek, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of irritable

Adjective

Perhaps the Giants believe pitching angry benefits Houser, too.

— Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
Occupants of a residence on the 1400 block of 104th Avenue were angry at the auto body shop for parking lots of cars outside, loud noises and excessive garbage.

— Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of angry

Adjective

Mistaking being disagreeable with the act of disagreeing is common - especially in unsafe psychological workplaces.

— Kate Wieczorek, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
There are also a lot of people who have never dreamed of being disagreeable in public, much less considered joining a raucous social movement.

— Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 12 June 2026

Definition of disagreeable

Adjective

Lillard’s Portland homecoming After having spent the first 11 years of his career adored in Portland, guard Damian Lillard left the city in a cantankerous exit in 2023 for Milwaukee to give Antetokounmpo what was supposed to be a championship boost.

— Andrew Greif, NBC news, 13 Aug. 2026
Carroll O'Connor played the cantankerous antihero Archie Bunker, legendary for firing off his grumpy, bigoted views.

— Skyler Trepel, Entertainment Weekly, 12 July 2026

Definition of cantankerous

Adjective

Look the steady coarsening of American civic and political culture and the ways in which the once-outrageous—the bilious, hateful rhetoric and the creeping authoritarianism—have become almost ordinary.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 July 2026
Minaj’s bilious flurry is possibly related to claims that she is owed between $100 to 200 million related to her stake in Tidal, the music streaming service launched and spearheaded by Jay-Z in 2015 and was sold to Jack Dorsey’s company Square for $297 million in 2021.

— Andrew Flanagan, Variety, 15 Oct. 2025

Definition of bilious

Adjective

Still, the internet nurtures these Hobbesian, splenetic views.

— Annie Lowrey, The Atlantic, 24 May 2026
Meanwhile, the commentator and controversialist Piers Morgan, an obsessively close observer and relentless critic of Meghan, inevitably waded in with his usual splenetic views.

— Sarah Lyall, New York Times, 17 Sep. 2022

Definition of splenetic

Adjective

In the show, Kyle Chandler plays Hal Jordan, an ornery Green Lantern who is begrudgingly training his upstart protégé (Aaron Pierre).

— Jordan Moreau, Variety, 16 July 2026
Leach also would publicly call out his players and could get ornery when questioned about his team’s shortcomings.

— Ralph D. Russo, New York Times, 2 June 2026

Definition of ornery

Browse Nearby Words

ill-mannered

ill-natured

ill-naturedly

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“Ill-natured.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill-natured. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of ill-natured

adjective

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