1
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in evils
that which is morally unacceptable
idealistic people who try to cure all of our society's ills
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ills
In their assessments, desegregation and the passage of time have cured all of America’s racial ills.
—
Time, 4 Sep. 2025
Macbeth, also an unstable Scottish king, blames the witches for the ills caused by his own murderous decisions.
—Emily Zarevich, JSTOR Daily, 3 Sep. 2025
The Annunciation Church attack breaks a boundary - namely, that children should be spared from society's typical ills.
—Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 29 Aug. 2025
Among those who came to view his immigration proceedings on Tuesday, but not allowed in, were Haitian bloggers and activists who blame him for the country’s ills.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2025
For political operatives, the crafting of partisan redistricting maps is the miracle elixir that cures party ills and keeps politicians entrenched for generations.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2025
Conspiracy theories and simplistic sloganeering popular at the time tended to blame Iran’s ills solely on colonialism or capitalism.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2025
The 88-year-old pontiff has been recovering from double pneumonia and other ills.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 26 Feb. 2025
The economic ills felt by consumers will be purely in service of ensuring the most profitable companies in the world are never held to account.
—Andrew Leahey, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025
Time, 4 Sep. 2025
Macbeth, also an unstable Scottish king, blames the witches for the ills caused by his own murderous decisions.
—Emily Zarevich, JSTOR Daily, 3 Sep. 2025
The Annunciation Church attack breaks a boundary - namely, that children should be spared from society's typical ills.
—Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 29 Aug. 2025
Among those who came to view his immigration proceedings on Tuesday, but not allowed in, were Haitian bloggers and activists who blame him for the country’s ills.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2025
For political operatives, the crafting of partisan redistricting maps is the miracle elixir that cures party ills and keeps politicians entrenched for generations.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2025
Conspiracy theories and simplistic sloganeering popular at the time tended to blame Iran’s ills solely on colonialism or capitalism.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2025
The 88-year-old pontiff has been recovering from double pneumonia and other ills.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 26 Feb. 2025
The economic ills felt by consumers will be purely in service of ensuring the most profitable companies in the world are never held to account.
—Andrew Leahey, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ills
Noun
-
Fox News' Health newsletter brings you stories on the latest developments in healthcare, wellness, diseases, mental health and more.—
Staff,
FOXNews.com,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Will eradicated diseases make a comeback if vaccination rates decline?—
Lily Altavena,
Freep.com,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The format, tone, and structure of a reality-TV show do not leave space for genuine critiques of its evils.—
Olivia Crandall,
Vulture,
29 Aug. 2025
-
Maa traces the story of a mother-daughter duo focusing on their escape from social and supernatural evils with almost zero support around them.—
Sweta Kaushal,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
But since June 13th—also the date when the Mets’ major misfortunes began—the Yankees have had a losing record, and have tumbled out of first place.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
24 Aug. 2025
-
But as much as Nashville artists love to dissect their misfortunes in song, Monroe has gone in almost the opposite direction with her latest project.—
Nancy Kruh,
People.com,
8 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
And, in the course of the novel, the characters do, in fact, die, one after another, but mostly from the ailments of old age.—
Rivka Galchen,
New Yorker,
6 Sep. 2025
-
The partnership tried to play through the ailments, but the results weren’t materializing for most of the year.—
The Athletic Tennis Staff,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
This does not mean genuine wrongs should be dismissed.—
Jonathan Alpert,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
-
The duo went on to work together in Highway to Heaven where Landon starred as a literal avenging angel, righting wrongs and looking out for people who couldn’t look out for themselves.—
Caroline Reid,
Forbes.com,
31 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
After tragedies or natural disasters, fake nonprofits or misleading crowdfunding campaigns pop up online, siphoning donations away from legitimate causes.—
Jason Phillips,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
-
For some people within the agency, the multiple safety reviews for NASA missions are a necessary safeguard after the space shuttle Challenger and Columbia tragedies.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
These rules, enforced by the state Department of Health, are designed to prevent outbreaks of contagious illnesses that once posed widespread threats.—
Peter Aitken,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Public records and lawsuits show that many in-custody deaths involved serious health care lapses — medication being withheld, delayed care and failure to monitor people with serious illnesses.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
While working together on The Unit, David Mamet once told you that good drama isn’t a choice between good and bad; good drama is the choice between two bads.—
Max Gao,
The Hollywood Reporter,
24 Jan. 2025
-
Reports out of fall camp haven’t been super favorable to their offense, and while the defense will, again, be top-notch, a team with this bad of an offense cannot be trusted.—
Austin Mock,
The Athletic,
19 Aug. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Ills.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ills. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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