Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

ill       (ĭl)  Pronunciation Key  adj.   worse (wûrs), worst (wûrst) Not healthy; sick: I began to feel ill last week. Not normal; unsound: an ill condition of body and mind. Resulting in suffering; harmful or distressing: the ill effects of a misconceived policy. Resulting from or suggestive of evil intentions: ill deeds committed out of spite. Ascribing an objectionable quality: holds an ill view of that political group. Hostile or unfriendly: ill feeling between rivals. Harmful; pernicious: the ill effects of a misconceived policy. Not favorable; unpropitious: ill predictions. Not measuring up to recognized standards of excellence, as of behavior or conduct. adv.   worse, worst In a sickly or unsound manner; not well. Scarcely or with difficulty. n.   Evil; sin. Disaster, distress, or harm. Something that causes suffering; trouble: the social ills of urban life. Something that reflects in an unfavorable way on one: Please don't speak ill of me when I'm gone. [Middle English, from Old Norse īllr, bad.]

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
ill 

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

ill
adjective
1.	affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function; "ill from the monotony of his suffering" [ant: well]
2.	resulting in suffering or adversity; "ill effects"; "it's an ill wind that blows no good"
3.	distressing; "ill manners"; "of ill repute"
4.	indicating hostility or enmity; "you certainly did me an ill turn"; "ill feelings"; "ill will"
5.	presaging ill fortune; "ill omens"; "ill predictions"; "my words with inauspicious thunderings shook heaven"- P.B.Shelley; "a dead and ominous silence prevailed"; "a by-election at a time highly unpropitious for the Government"
adverb
1.	('ill' is often used as a combining form) in a poor or improper or unsatisfactory manner; not well; "he was ill prepared"; "it ill befits a man to betray old friends"; "the car runs badly"; "he performed badly on the exam"; "the team played poorly"; "ill-fitting clothes"; "an ill-conceived plan" [ant: good]
2.	unfavorably or with disapproval; "tried not to speak ill of the dead"; "thought badly of him for his lack of concern" [ant: well]
3.	with difficulty or inconvenience; scarcely or hardly; "we can ill afford to buy a new car just now"
noun
1.	an often persistent bodily disorder or disease; a cause for complaining [syn: ailment]

American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms - Cite This Source - Share This

ill

In addition to the idioms beginning with ill, also see under get sick.

American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

ill (ĭl)
adj. worse (wûrs), worst (wûrst)

1. Not healthy; sick.
2. Not normal, as a condition; unsound.

n.
A disease or illness, especially of animals.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Ill

Ill\, a. [The regular comparative and superlative are wanting, their places being supplied by worseand worst, from another root.] [OE. ill, ille, Icel. illr; akin to Sw. illa, adv., Dan. ilde, adv.]

1. Contrary to good, in a physical sense; contrary or opposed to advantage, happiness, etc.; bad; evil; unfortunate; disagreeable; unfavorable.

Neither is it ill air only that maketh an ill seat, but ill ways, ill markets, and ill neighbors. --Bacon.

There 's some ill planet reigns. --Shak.

2. Contrary to good, in a moral sense; evil; wicked; wrong; iniquitious; naughtly; bad; improper.

Of his own body he was ill, and gave The clergy ill example. --Shak.

3. Sick; indisposed; unwell; diseased; disordered; as, ill of a fever.

I am in health, I breathe, and see thee ill. --Shak.

4. Not according with rule, fitness, or propriety; incorrect; rude; unpolished; inelegant.

That 's an ill phrase. --Shak.

Ill at ease, uneasy; uncomfortable; anxious. "I am very ill at ease." --Shak.

Ill blood, enmity; resentment.

Ill breeding, want of good breeding; rudeness.

Ill fame, ill or bad repute; as, a house of ill fame, a house where lewd persons meet for illicit intercourse.

Ill humor, a disagreeable mood; bad temper.

Ill nature, bad disposition or temperament; sullenness; esp., a disposition to cause unhappiness to others.

Ill temper, anger; moroseness; crossness.

Ill turn. (a) An unkind act. (b) A slight attack of illness. [Colloq. U.S.]

Ill will, unkindness; enmity; malevolence.

Syn: Bad; evil; wrong; wicked; sick; unwell.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Ill

Ill\, n. 1. Whatever annoys or impairs happiness, or prevents success; evil of any kind; misfortune; calamity; disease; pain; as, the ills of humanity.

Who can all sense of others' ills escape Is but a brute at best in human shape. --Tate.

That makes us rather bear those ills we have Than fly to others that we know not of. --Shak.

2. Whatever is contrary to good, in a moral sense; wickedness; depravity; iniquity; wrong; evil.

Strong virtue, like strong nature, struggles still, Exerts itself, and then throws off the ill. --Dryden.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Ill

Ill\, adv. In a ill manner; badly; weakly.

How ill this taper burns! --Shak.

Ill fares the land, to hastening ills a prey, Where wealth accumulates and men decay. --Goldsmith.

Note: Ill, like above, well, and so, is used before many participal adjectives, in its usual adverbal sense. When the two words are used as an epithet preceding the noun qualified they are commonly hyphened; in other cases they are written separatively; as, an ill-educated man; he was ill educated; an ill-formed plan; the plan, however ill formed, was acceptable. Ao, also, the following: ill-affected or ill affected, ill-arranged or ill arranged, ill-assorted or ill assorted, ill-boding or ill boding, ill-bred or ill bred, ill-conditioned, ill-conducted, ill-considered, ill-devised, ill-disposed, ill-doing, ill-fairing, ill-fated, ill-favored, ill-featured, ill-formed, ill-gotten, ill-imagined, ill-judged, ill-looking, ill-mannered, ill-matched, ill-meaning, ill-minded, ill-natured, ill-omened, ill-proportioned, ill-provided, ill-required, ill-sorted, ill-starred, ill-tempered, ill-timed, ill-trained, ill-used, and the like.