1
2
as in harmful
causing or capable of causing harm
one of the ill effects of winter weather is the rapid spread of germs as people spend more time together indoors
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in poorly
temporarily suffering from a disorder of the body
since I'm ill, I guess that I'll just have to miss that dental appointment
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4
as in poor
falling short of a standard
such ill behavior will not be tolerated
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5
as in ominous
being or showing a sign of evil or calamity to come
the abrupt breakdown of negotiations appears to be an ill omen for this ongoing hostage situation
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1
as in severely
in a manner so as to cause loss or suffering
in those days society treated debtors very ill, even going so far as to put them in prison
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2
as in no
certainly not
you can ill afford to miss another day of work
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1
as in disease
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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2
as in evil
that which is morally unacceptable
idealistic people who try to cure all of our society's ills
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3
as in misfortune
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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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of ill
Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 17 July 2025
On the flip-side, the World Health Organization cites traffic noise such as road, rail and air traffic as the second most important cause of ill health in western Europe behind air pollution.
—Daisy Jones, Vogue, 15 July 2025
Robert Ross, Robb Report, 5 July 2025
To give praise which is not due might be well from the venal, but would ill beseem those who are asserting the rights of human nature.
—Lee Habeeb, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 July 2025
Hannah Seo, The Atlantic, 10 June 2025
Sly Stone fused joyful visions of the country with a deep understanding of its worst ills.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for ill
Adjective
About one in five infected people die, sometimes within a day or two of becoming ill, the CDC says.
—Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 17 July 2025
On the flip-side, the World Health Organization cites traffic noise such as road, rail and air traffic as the second most important cause of ill health in western Europe behind air pollution.
—Daisy Jones, Vogue, 15 July 2025
Adverb
Trouble will come from a rusty or ill-repaired example.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 5 July 2025
To give praise which is not due might be well from the venal, but would ill beseem those who are asserting the rights of human nature.
—Lee Habeeb, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 July 2025
Noun
Zooming in on mitochondria might offer a reassuringly specific and seemingly scientific explanation of the many real ills of the U.S. population, but ultimately, Means and MAHA are only helping obscure the big picture.
—Hannah Seo, The Atlantic, 10 June 2025
Sly Stone fused joyful visions of the country with a deep understanding of its worst ills.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for ill
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill
Adjective
-
Kids get hurt and get sick, like anyone else; every year, a few in the practice battle life-threatening illness, often cancer.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
14 July 2025
-
Mission Viejo raced to the title while playing without wide receiver Vance Spafford (sick), cornerback Jeron Jones (fractured wrist), safeties Sawyer Thomson (knee) and Zachary Foeldi (knee) and wide receiver Max Markofski (hip).—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
13 July 2025
Adjective
-
Antisocial Anger Some teenagers express their anger through harmful behaviors such as threatening others, vandalism, skipping school or using drugs.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
16 July 2025
-
Independent testing confirms that the supplement contains the ingredients listed on the label and is free from harmful contaminants.—
Kirstyn Hill,
Health,
15 July 2025
Adjective
-
The researchers and their partners are also working to track local residents’ health and to measure how well or poorly interventions like masks and household air filters protected them.—
Maggie Astor,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
-
Both the United States and the United Nations have stepped back from leadership roles, a reflection of how poorly interventions in Haiti have gone and also the wide range of issues in other parts of the world at the moment.—
Adam Taylor,
Washington Post,
7 Mar. 2024
Adjective
-
Spurred by climate change, Canadian wildfires have increasingly exacerbated poor air quality across Milwaukee and southern Wisconsin.—
Maia Pandey,
jsonline.com,
24 July 2025
-
Because her judgment is so poor, your aggressively driving grandmother should not be behind the wheel.—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
23 July 2025
Adjective
-
People in this state search for a story that explains why everything suddenly feels uncanny and ominous.—
Rachel Aviv,
New Yorker,
21 July 2025
-
Some commentators labeled his speech unduly bellicose; others applauded his courage to define ominous realities.—
Robert Schmuhl,
Chicago Tribune,
20 July 2025
Adverb
-
However, baserunners like Vivas need to have more awareness of the signals from their coach as well as run hard to the base no matter the circumstances.—
Drew VonScio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 July 2025
-
The $170 million TRACERS is set to launch no earlier than the end of July on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that will be carrying several other small missions into orbit at the same time.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
19 July 2025
Noun
-
In addition to providing protection for individuals, the DHS website says that widespread vaccination means that diseases have less opportunity to spread.—
Andrew Montequin,
jsonline.com,
22 July 2025
-
Topline Ozzy Osbourne, the legendary frontman of heavy metal progenitors Black Sabbath and a multi-platinum selling solo artist, has died at 76, his family confirmed to the BBC, just weeks after his final performance with his old band while still battling Parkinson’s disease.—
Zachary Folk,
Forbes.com,
22 July 2025
Noun
-
After a discussion about an individual’s spiritual battle between good and evil, campers then used cardboard and tape to make armor, and pool noodles for swords.—
Paul Bersebach,
Oc Register,
12 July 2025
-
Dealing with this colorful psychopath, Christian Bale's hero wrestles with personal choices and his gig as Gotham's resident protector in a white-knuckle affair about the fine line between good and evil.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
10 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ill.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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