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
Many Barcelona residents feel the Sagrada Familia's fame has driven some of overtourism's worst ills.
—
ABC News, 9 June 2026
Charli isn’t pretending the world’s ills are curable through a sweaty night dancing with friends.
—Scottie Andrew, CNN Money, 2 June 2026
Giant could have taken the same approach to Dahl as Dahl took to his own characters, clearly telegraphing the author’s ills and reducing him to them.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 31 May 2026
Blaming the Cubs’ ills on off-the-field issues is entertaining and keeps some sportswriters employed well past their expiration date.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2026
Chambers grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts, which has become something of a poster-child of the ills of deindustrialization.
—Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 19 May 2026
The expectations, the hope is so high for that prescription to be the salve for their ills.
—Torie Bosch, STAT, 25 Apr. 2026
Even as professional coders are becoming increasingly enthusiastic about the power of AI coding tools, many end users still see them as a boogeyman to instantly blame for any and all observed ills in the tech industry.
—ArsTechnica, 7 Apr. 2026
In their absence, the three remaining candidates pounded on a wide array of municipal ills, including broken sidewalks, high rents and sluggish housing production.
—Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026
ABC News, 9 June 2026
Charli isn’t pretending the world’s ills are curable through a sweaty night dancing with friends.
—Scottie Andrew, CNN Money, 2 June 2026
Giant could have taken the same approach to Dahl as Dahl took to his own characters, clearly telegraphing the author’s ills and reducing him to them.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 31 May 2026
Blaming the Cubs’ ills on off-the-field issues is entertaining and keeps some sportswriters employed well past their expiration date.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2026
Chambers grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts, which has become something of a poster-child of the ills of deindustrialization.
—Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 19 May 2026
The expectations, the hope is so high for that prescription to be the salve for their ills.
—Torie Bosch, STAT, 25 Apr. 2026
Even as professional coders are becoming increasingly enthusiastic about the power of AI coding tools, many end users still see them as a boogeyman to instantly blame for any and all observed ills in the tech industry.
—ArsTechnica, 7 Apr. 2026
In their absence, the three remaining candidates pounded on a wide array of municipal ills, including broken sidewalks, high rents and sluggish housing production.
—Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ills
Noun
-
More than 10,000 rare diseases affect 30 million Americans.—
Elise Esposito,
Boston Herald,
29 May 2026
-
Viral diseases in tomato plants cannot be treated with chemicals.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
All the while, Russian state TV continued to air the Kremlin’s talking points about the valor of its troops, the evils of Ukraine and its Western allies, and the approaching victory of Russia.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
6 June 2026
-
By the way, Orange County Republicans clearly don’t buy the evils-of-voting-by-mail thing.—
Teri Sforza,
Oc Register,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
Farmers markets — that humble and charming throwback to a bygone era — are also struggling with higher fuel prices, after weathering the economic calamities of the pandemic and other misfortunes.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
9 May 2026
-
The Philadelphia singer-songwriter seeks out the mystical potential of quotidian misfortunes in a set of psychedelic-of-center bedroom pop songs.—
Lily Goldberg,
Pitchfork,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
While every ceremonial facilitator has their own unique way of preparing ayahuasca, most often two plants are brewed together (caapi vine and chacruna leaves) to create the highly powerful, transportive substance that can be used to treat physical and mental ailments.—
Michaela Trimble,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 June 2026
-
Tabbed a Colts starter as a rookie, hamstring and quadriceps ailments shut him down halfway through that initial professional campaign.—
David Furones,
Sun Sentinel,
5 June 2026
Noun
-
So that's an exceptionalism that in quite severe terms suggests sacrifice to right wrongs.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
1 June 2026
-
Which just goes to show three wrongs don’t make a right.—
Mark Barabak,
Mercury News,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
This is a distortion of the law, and a display of callous indifference to the tragedies that moved Congress to pass the Refugee Act.—
Elizabeth Holtzman,
Time,
9 June 2026
-
In both residential areas, the tragedies were met with an outpouring of shock, grief and demands for answers.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
This is why wastewater can give us a better picture of the prevalence of illnesses not always easily detected in a healthcare setting, said Bidwell, especially because most people recover at home without seeing a doctor or being formally diagnosed.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
-
Community engagement remains crucial, especially since early Ebola symptoms can resemble other illnesses.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
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
-
In times when the city's bad seems to overshadow the good, Daniels and others like him can be a guidepost for generations to come.—
Sophia Tiedge,
jsonline.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ills.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ills. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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