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
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
In his songs, the Virginia rapper renders societal ills in high definition.
—Paul A. Thompson, Pitchfork, 30 Mar. 2026
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
In his songs, the Virginia rapper renders societal ills in high definition.
—Paul A. Thompson, Pitchfork, 30 Mar. 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
-
And right now, the Democrats are the lesser of two evils.—
Kiara Moore,
The Washington Examiner,
20 May 2026
-
On some level, Hasna senses that such a soulless, Kafkaesque environment has to be hiding worse evils than paycheck withholding and infrequent bathroom breaks.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
18 May 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
-
Those advocating for a fundamental reset — including Newsom, businesses, cities and counties — say a cottage industry of consultants and attorneys have morphed the claim process to include common ailments such as high blood pressure and toenail fungus.—
Joe Rubin,
Sacbee.com,
28 May 2026
-
Not only that, but Jill said physical ailments were also taking their toll on the career politician.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
Which just goes to show three wrongs don’t make a right.—
Mark Barabak,
Mercury News,
28 May 2026
-
Another one-and-done series, The CW's Good Cop/Bad Cop was a comedic procedural starring Luke Cook and network vet Leighton Meester as sibling detectives trying to right the wrongs of their crooked-cop father, played by Clancy Brown.—
Britt Hayes,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 May 2026
Noun
-
The effort to both support and regulate DCF comes at a time when the department is being criticized for its handling of several recent tragedies involving children.—
Laura Tillman,
Hartford Courant,
2 June 2026
-
Those scenes' lighthearted whimsy, featuring late-night hijinks with classmates pranking grumpy instructors, pays off in the story's earliest tragedies.—
Jordan Minor,
PC Magazine,
1 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
-
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 5 Jun. 2026.
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