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The noun ilk comes from the Old English pronoun ilca by way of a pronoun ilk that is still in use, but not in most modern English dialects. That ilk is synonymous with same, and persists chiefly in Scotland where it's used in the phrase "of that ilk," meaning "of the same place, territorial designation, or name." It is generally used in reference to the names of land-owning families and their eponymous estates, as in "the Grants of that ilk," which means "the Grants of Grant." In the late 1700s, the Scots phrase extended to mean "of that kind or sort," a usage that found its way into modern English.
Examples of ilk in a Sentence
Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 July 2025
That is, until the early aughts, when Perez Hilton and his ilk transformed being famous into a blood sport featuring the public, the paparazzi, and their primarily female prey.
—Rachel Handler, Vulture, 18 July 2025
But to get a closer of Duran or Clase’s ilk, Philadelphia would have to say bye-bye to a top-tier prospect or two.
—Anthony Stitt, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025
Los Angeles really doesn’t need another outfielder of his ilk, and with the team on the outskirts of the wild-card race, its front office is still trying to be buyers rather than sellers at the trade deadline.
—Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 10 July 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Ilk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ilk. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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