ILLS Synonyms: 127 Similar and Opposite Words

ills

noun

plural of ill

as in diseases

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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Relevance

as in evils

that which is morally unacceptable idealistic people who try to cure all of our society's ills

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in misfortunes

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 ills Alex Pantling/Getty Images What is clear is that no one thinks the changes enacted in either the Championship or League One are a resolution to the EFL’s marked financial ills. — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026 Blaming billionaire wealth-hoarding for America’s ills would poll very well among the nation’s anthropology departments. — Gilad Edelman, The Atlantic, 19 July 2026 Last month, Kwon’s team, in collaboration with Seongju Kim at Hanbat National University, in Daejeon, South Korea, presented its solution to HBM’s future ills. — IEEE Spectrum, 8 July 2026 Hualde says that some Pamplona residents rue his early promotion of the festival due to the ills of overtourism the sleepy provincial city is now experiencing. — ABC News, 6 July 2026 Large protests are expected and, in a country where migration has become an easy target for people suffering from a cascade of social and economic ills, the gatherings risk becoming combustible. — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 29 June 2026 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 Ultimately, a ballot initiative won’t cure the ills that plague healthcare in the United States, said the Lown Institute’s Saini. — Kff Health News, Oc Register, 10 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ills

Noun

If the model works, Hund says Rare Ventures will expand to include more diseases and potentially fund more treatments.

— Brad Quick, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
This is far from the first time that Kennedy and his allies have attempted to downplay and spread misinformation about deaths from vaccine-preventable diseases.

— Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of diseases

Noun

But for Mayor Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys), the local personalities pale in comparison to the evils lurking beneath the cursed island’s surface.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026
Only instead of crusading against the evils of dancing teenagers, our most pedantic podcasters have joined forces to convince their audiences that Tony Romo should be doing the Texas two-step to the nearest unemployment office.

— Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of evils

Noun

Poliński said Zosia would likely have been blamed for misfortunes such as disease and famine that often plagued the region in the 17th century, which people sometimes attributed to supernatural activity by the dead.

— Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
But the fire this time was started by a son, which led to raging misfortunes that consumed his three brothers one by one, leaving only ashen memories for his surviving sister and aged parents to sift through.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of misfortunes

Noun

And having the club fined is also not going to cause individual players to curtail their emotions or not defend themselves against actual or perceived wrongs.

— Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 Aug. 2026
The tired, the sick, the hungry, the famous and tons of ex-boyfriends, all regretting their wrongs.

— Courtney Love, Rolling Stone, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of wrongs

Noun

Those efforts have only intensified following a year in which the NFL community dealt with the tragedies that saw Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Rondale Moore both take their lives.

— Mike Jones, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Elordi is terrific as Hig, a man whose personal tragedies and grief do not erase his belief there is still something out there worth saving despite all the evidence that good no longer exists.

— Pete Hammond, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of tragedies

Noun

Many of the chihuahuas are emaciated and have varying illnesses, fleas and other medical concerns, according to Humane Indiana staff.

— Anna Ortiz, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026
Lenders, and borrowers, care whether a mortgage can remain affordable through job changes, slowdowns, illnesses or other disruptions.

— Medora Lee, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of illnesses

Noun

In addition to public goods, AI will also create public bads.

— James Broughel, Forbes.com, 8 June 2026
Naturally, the meeting is a flop because no one was prepared, and their spontaneous ideas are frankly fireable-offense bad (a baguette bag shaped like a baguette for Paris?

— Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2025