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
Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 25 Feb. 2025
Despite being the first state in the country with a dedicated hospice facility, Connecticut is the only of these three states without robust infrastructure to support seriously ill children and families in their homes.
—Elizabeth Broden, Hartford Courant, 17 Feb. 2025
Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 24 Feb. 2025
Bakole stepped in on just two days' notice to replace IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois, who fell ill during fight week.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2025
Russell Contreras, Axios, 1 Feb. 2025
Sister Patricia Scanlan, a member of the Carmelite Sisters of Baltimore for over 70 years who cared for the ill, died Jan. 19.
—Frederick N. Rasmussen, Baltimore Sun, 1 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ill
Adjective
Perhaps inevitably, Rublev suffered badly following his battle against ill health to win the Madrid title.
—Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 25 Feb. 2025
Despite being the first state in the country with a dedicated hospice facility, Connecticut is the only of these three states without robust infrastructure to support seriously ill children and families in their homes.
—Elizabeth Broden, Hartford Courant, 17 Feb. 2025
Adverb
In 2018, Flack fell ill at the Apollo Theater during a Jazz Foundation of America benefit gala where she was set to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award.
—Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 24 Feb. 2025
Bakole stepped in on just two days' notice to replace IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois, who fell ill during fight week.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2025
Noun
The move is confusing some agencies on whether Black history can even be acknowledged this year while the nation deals with rising hate crimes, the aftermath of California wildfires, a fentanyl epidemic and a new president who blames the country's ills on workforce diversity.
—Russell Contreras, Axios, 1 Feb. 2025
Sister Patricia Scanlan, a member of the Carmelite Sisters of Baltimore for over 70 years who cared for the ill, died Jan. 19.
—Frederick N. Rasmussen, Baltimore Sun, 1 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ill
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill
Adjective
-
Measles is an infection that can make even healthy children very sick.—
Brenda Goodman and Neha Mukherjee,
CNN,
6 Mar. 2025
-
Less than 10 minutes later, at that same rally, gunfire rang out and a sick and deranged assassin unloaded eight bullets from his sniper’s perch into a crowd of many thousands of people.—
TIME Staff,
TIME,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Scientists have found bits of plastic in the ocean that are coated in communities of microorganisms, including harmful bacteria.5 Jayakrishnan said the microplastics in the body may play a similar role, offering a medium for cancer-causing bacteria to grow and disrupt the gut microbiome.—
Claire Bugos,
Verywell Health,
7 Mar. 2025
-
Cold water can increase blood flow to your face, boosting your skin's protection from free radicals, harmful compounds caused by exposure to UV light and pollution.—
Sherri Gordon,
Health,
6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
Story will be a free agent and at this stage why would an accomplished player stay with the poorly run Rockies?—
BostonGlobe.com,
BostonGlobe.com,
27 Mar. 2021
Adjective
-
And another research team, using data from 2015 to 2022, observed in an article available in Energy Research and Social Science that poor income distribution correlates with social unrest when fossil fuel subsidies are removed.—
Aldo Flores-Quiroga,
Forbes,
1 Mar. 2025
-
That poor Texas child is likely not to be the only fatality.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
But by reciting the proposal again and again, Trump might be setting in motion very real—and extremely ominous—consequences for the West Bank and the entire region.—
Hussein Ibish,
The Atlantic,
27 Feb. 2025
-
The historian Janis Mimura saw something more ominous: a new, proactive union of industry and governmental power, wherein the state would drive aggressive industrial policy at the expense of liberal norms.—
Kyle Chayka,
The New Yorker,
26 Feb. 2025
Adverb
-
This evening was no different, with Rhianna opting for a cozy, classic look.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
9 Mar. 2025
-
Bottom line, no matter what your full retirement age benefit is, waiting to collect benefits at 70 versus 67, will only produce an increase of lifetime benefits of approximately 3-percent.—
Thomas Hager,
Forbes,
9 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Fruits, vegetables, flowers, etc., can carry bugs or disease that can impact our agriculture.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Feb. 2025
-
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease that affects 1% of the population.1 People with celiac used to die from their condition before the gluten-free diet diet was discovered.2 Gluten intolerance is more common, affecting up to 13% of the population.—
Sarah Bence,
Health,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
In a quiet and picturesque fishing village in Northern France, a very special child is born, unleashing a secret war between extraterrestrial forces of good and evil.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
7 Mar. 2025
-
America’s stable vision of the world relied on the belief that good and evil are clearly delineated—a belief that was easier to maintain in the absence of complicating information.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
The New Yorker,
7 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ill.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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