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
Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 18 Sep. 2025
Police said no children became seriously ill, but said that the melatonin posed serious health risks.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Eli Hager, ProPublica, 8 Sep. 2025
Without the well or ill-intentioned guide of theological doctrine, everything stands poised to become a metaphor.
—Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 29 Aug. 2025
Among those who came to view his immigration proceedings on Tuesday, but not allowed in, were Haitian bloggers and activists who blame him for the country’s ills.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ill
Adjective
Throughout Biglari’s numerous attempts to secure board seats at the chain, executives at Cracker Barrel have cited his executive compensation as proof of his ill intentions for the brand.
—Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 18 Sep. 2025
Police said no children became seriously ill, but said that the melatonin posed serious health risks.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Adverb
Inside the agency, Dudek, ill-prepared for leadership or for DOGE’s murky agenda, was stumbling through the chaos in part by creating some of his own.
—Eli Hager, ProPublica, 8 Sep. 2025
Without the well or ill-intentioned guide of theological doctrine, everything stands poised to become a metaphor.
—Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
Noun
The Annunciation Church attack breaks a boundary - namely, that children should be spared from society's typical ills.
—Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 29 Aug. 2025
Among those who came to view his immigration proceedings on Tuesday, but not allowed in, were Haitian bloggers and activists who blame him for the country’s ills.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ill
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill
Adjective
-
To be that sad and sick with the most blessings/privilege/opportunity/love around me was quite possibly the most confusing thing ever.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Our health care system focuses on treating sick patients.—
Bryant Stamford,
Louisville Courier Journal,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
This vaporized the harmful metals in the red mud, and left behind a purified compound rich in aluminum.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
17 Sep. 2025
-
No one has gotten sick, but lead can be harmful to young children’s development.—
DeVonne Goode,
Parents,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
This involves having a poorly or non-functioning colon and is not usually reversible.—
Dr. John De Jong,
Boston Herald,
17 Aug. 2025
-
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
Adjective
-
The poll also found that 51% of respondents perceive the current state of the economy as poor, and 61% express a lack of confidence that the economy will improve next year.—
Naomi Lim,
The Washington Examiner,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Low User Adoption Due To Poor Onboarding The primary hurdle is often low user adoption due to poor onboarding and a steep learning curve.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Thoughts of all the beautiful, mundane, familiar things that make life so sweet had turned sour in my ominous fortune-telling.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Sep. 2025
-
If the sky turns ominous and thunder can be heard, find a secure place for shelter.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
17 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
But with Burrow now looking likely to miss the majority of the regular season, those chances look severely diminished.—
Ben Morse,
CNN Money,
16 Sep. 2025
-
This stagnation can severely impact marketability and career growth when the labor market eventually improves.—
Kara Dennison,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
Regardless, these comments are blatantly insensitive as political violence should never be tolerated or exploited as comedic entertainment, no matter who perpetrated it.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Now this is a vintage appetizer Grandpa is no doubt familiar with.—
Mary Shannon Wells,
Southern Living,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The smallest, what are called ultrafine particles, even slip through the alveolar capillary barrier itself, crossing into the bloodstream, and from there travel throughout the body, including to the heart, the brain, and the kidneys to initiate even more destruction and disease (see below).—
Bill Frist,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
-
But the shot has been a life-saving public health intervention against the disease, which can lead to severe health problems, including liver cancer and failure, and death.—
Annika Kim Constantino,
CNBC,
18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ill.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.
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