ILL-WISHER Synonyms: 51 Similar and Opposite Words

ill-wisher

noun

Definition of ill-wisher

as in enemy

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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-wisher As a small country with many ill-wishers, surrounded by militias that clamor for its destruction, Israel often feels itself under siege and classifies any action against it as an unforgivable betrayal. — Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 27 Nov. 2024 Kadyrov denies rights abuses, saying such allegations are fabricated by ill-wishers trying to discredit Chechnya and its authorities. — Reuters, NBC News, 5 July 2023

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill-wisher

Noun

This way was cleaner — recency bias won’t be his enemy, but his friend.

— Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 24 July 2026
That benefit is crucial, because as Texas State University’s professor Kostas Kalfas explains, heat is the enemy of hydraulic dampers.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 24 July 2026

Definition of enemy

Noun

Smith, the political science professor, said Marshall’s constituents and opponents are likely to demand more information.

— Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 28 July 2026
For more than a decade, India’s leader Narendra Modi has seemed politically unassailable, presiding over a government that has outmaneuvered opponents, dominated public discourse and squeezed the space for dissent in the world’s biggest democracy.

— Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 28 July 2026

Definition of opponent

Noun

Energy costs, vanishing federal subsidies and an administration in Washington hostile to clean energy are giving officials reasons to retreat from efforts to deal with climate change and the political cover to do so.

— Andres Clarens, The Conversation, 17 June 2026
During the recent demonstration test, the Bird of Prey took off from a launch cradle, and once in the air was able to autonomously search for, detect, and classify a target drone standing in for a hostile.

— David Szondy April 04, New Atlas, 4 Apr. 2026

Definition of hostile

Noun

John Sugar has snuck into Ray Vega’s home and stands behind his adversary with a gun aimed at his head.

— Andy Andersen, Vulture, 24 July 2026
Why the Navy is investing in counter-UUV capability The proliferation of UUVs among potential adversaries has pushed undersea autonomous threat response up the Navies priority list.

— Aditya Jadhav, Interesting Engineering, 24 July 2026

Definition of adversary

Noun

Each was cast as the antagonist in the game that saw England’s exit a World Cup or European Championship, prompting invective from rival supporters and a siege mentality in Manchester.

— Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 21 July 2026
The man in the water Tanner Mansell is, in many ways, the bill’s perfect antagonist — and the clearest illustration of how tangled this fight has become.

— Kate Waxman, Sun Sentinel, 19 July 2026

Definition of antagonist

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Style

“Ill-wisher.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill-wisher. Accessed 28 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of ill-wisher

noun

Example Sentences

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