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 Football cannot be expected to answer societal ills, but this is the sort of area in which the club’s foundation does its invaluable outreach work, a place touched by those statistics about deprivation and crime. — Michael Walker, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026 But unlike Transcription or George Saunders’s Vigil, the year’s other novel about a rich old man on his way to the underworld, this book doesn’t try to diagnose our collective ills. — Emma Alpern, Vulture, 7 Sep. 2026 The colonial latifundium, instead of being abolished by independence, was strengthened, leading to any number of national ills. — Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ills

Noun

Cuts to public agencies have coincided with outbreaks of infectious and foodborne diseases, to the point that the administration is trying to manipulate numbers to hide measles deaths.

— Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 17 Sep. 2026
Getting enough of that sweet, sweet dream sleep guarded against 83 different conditions, including cardiovascular diseases and various metabolic and psychiatric outcomes.

— Mike McRae September 17, New Atlas, 17 Sep. 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

However, in the same way that one type of physician cannot work for all ailments, one type of school cannot work for all children.

— Claudia Nachtigal, Baltimore Sun, 15 Sep. 2026
Many 9/11 first responders alive today feel as Sanchez does, more preoccupied with their survivor’s guilt than their own ailments.

— Lila Dominus, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of ailments

Noun

Tort law is a branch of civil law that deals with civil wrongs or injuries, allowing an injured party to seek compensation from the person or entity responsible.

— Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 6 Sep. 2026
Just in time for Labor Day, the National Labor Relations Board can finally right some of the wrongs of the Biden administration.

— Marvin E. Kaplan, Washington Post, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of wrongs

Noun

Most workplace tragedies, sadly, never get that attention, even though more than 5,000 people die from accidents at work every year.

— Matt Helmer, Washington Post, 9 Sep. 2026
Find positive, proactive ways that can prevent these kinds of tragedies from ever happening again.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of tragedies

Noun

There will be a seventh bell-tolling this year, for the thousands who have since died by suicide, or from cancer and other illnesses caused by the ravages of terrorism.

— Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2026
The initiative aims to bring positivity and hope to children battling critical illnesses.

— Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 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