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
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
During the 1980s, both tabloids pandered to the racial resentments and fears of white New Yorkers when covering all of the city’s ills.
—
Heather Ann Thompson, The Atlantic, 26 Jan. 2026
Winning tends to cure a lot of ills, and the Hornets hit the road this week with two recent home victories to their credit.
—Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Certainly, in the past several years, the app has been blamed for any number of contemporary social ills.
—Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 27 Dec. 2025
Despite so many errors, The Information is now the paper of record on the ills of Nvidia.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 21 Dec. 2025
There are people like myself who don’t agree with the extreme policies of both parties realizing that neither side has all the answers to solve the nation’s ills.
—Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 12 Dec. 2025
An expensive renovation to raise its foundation protected Samy’s studio from the elements; high above it all, the veranda provided a stunning, unobstructed view of poverty and all its ills.
—Literary Hub, 5 Dec. 2025
Yet football, which the Ivies practically invented—ills and all—remains a different beast.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 28 Nov. 2025
Instead, the future of emergency response should be one in which 911 is the gateway to a more comprehensive set of professional public health and conflict resolution responders focused on the kind of community conflicts and social ills that so often precipitate a 911 call.
—S. Rebecca Neusteter, Time, 23 Nov. 2025
Heather Ann Thompson, The Atlantic, 26 Jan. 2026
Winning tends to cure a lot of ills, and the Hornets hit the road this week with two recent home victories to their credit.
—Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Certainly, in the past several years, the app has been blamed for any number of contemporary social ills.
—Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 27 Dec. 2025
Despite so many errors, The Information is now the paper of record on the ills of Nvidia.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 21 Dec. 2025
There are people like myself who don’t agree with the extreme policies of both parties realizing that neither side has all the answers to solve the nation’s ills.
—Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 12 Dec. 2025
An expensive renovation to raise its foundation protected Samy’s studio from the elements; high above it all, the veranda provided a stunning, unobstructed view of poverty and all its ills.
—Literary Hub, 5 Dec. 2025
Yet football, which the Ivies practically invented—ills and all—remains a different beast.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 28 Nov. 2025
Instead, the future of emergency response should be one in which 911 is the gateway to a more comprehensive set of professional public health and conflict resolution responders focused on the kind of community conflicts and social ills that so often precipitate a 911 call.
—S. Rebecca Neusteter, Time, 23 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ills
Noun
-
The models, called Eden, will be used to help advance gene editing and potential cures to deadly diseases.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Holmes experienced a meteoric rise in the early 2010s with the initial success of her company, Theranos, which claimed its medical device could detect diseases from a few drops of blood at a fraction of the price.—
Jacqueline Munis,
Fortune,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Voters in primary elections may nominate extremists to run in the general election, leaving independents no choice but to vote for the lesser of two evils or to abstain from voting for either.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Nick, first buy a dictionary and then take a few courses in logic and the evils of bigotry.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Embodying a character as evil as Stephen has made the far more relaxed White—whose real-life mother, Katey Sagal, plays his character’s troubled mother on the series—relish the character’s small misfortunes.—
Savannah Walsh,
Vanity Fair,
20 Jan. 2026
-
What traits, decisions, or misfortunes exceed a person’s jurisdiction?—
Rachel Vorona Cote,
The Atlantic,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Later, the state spent $6 million to seal the brick building, after state workers complained of respiratory ailments and asthma.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
11 Jan. 2026
-
In 2010, two years before his death at 82 from complications of heart and lung ailments, Reisman founded Table Tennis Nation.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Righting a couple of wrongs that everybody was talking about.—
D. Orlando Ledbetter,
AJC.com,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Was this award created, to some degree, to right Emmy wrongs?—
Scott Feinberg,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Given that these tragedies still happen all the time (there have been 400 school shootings in America over the last 10 years), the subject remains so loaded, and so wounding, that the handling of it requires extreme sensitivity and intelligence — qualities that Sundance stands for.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Minneapolis is far from alone in navigating high-profile events and bearing scars from multiple tragedies past.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Participants can receive no-cost vaccinations for flu, RSV, shingles, tetanus, HPV and other illnesses.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Do the newborns who get the vaccine develop other severe illnesses in the first few weeks of life?—
Gabrielle Emanuel,
NPR,
22 Jan. 2026
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 30 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
