Nearby Words

ill

[il] Example Sentences Origin

ill

[il] adjective, worse, worst, noun, adverb
adjective
1.
of unsound physical or mental health; unwell; sick: She felt ill, so her teacher sent her to the nurse.
2.
objectionable; unsatisfactory; poor; faulty: ill manners.
3.
hostile; unkindly: ill feeling.
4.
evil; wicked; bad: of ill repute.
5.
unfavorable; adverse: ill fortune.
EXPAND
6.
of inferior worth or ability; unskillful; inexpert: an ill example of scholarship.
COLLAPSE
noun
7.
an unfavorable opinion or statement: I can speak no ill of her.
8.
harm or injury: His remarks did much ill.
9.
trouble, distress, or misfortune: Many ills befell him.
10.
evil: to know the difference between good and ill.
11.
sickness or disease.

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Ill is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
adverb
12.
in an ill manner.
13.
unsatisfactorily; poorly: It ill befits a man to betray old friends.
14.
in a hostile or unfriendly manner.
15.
unfavorably; unfortunately.
16.
with displeasure or offense.
EXPAND
17.
faultily; improperly.
18.
with difficulty or inconvenience; scarcely: Buying a new car is an expense we can ill afford.
COLLAPSE
19.
ill at ease, socially uncomfortable; nervous: They were ill at ease because they didn't speak the language.

Origin:
1150–1200; Middle English ill(e) (noun and adj.) < Old Norse illr (adj.) ill, bad

ill, sick1 (see synonym note at the current entry).


1. unhealthy, ailing, diseased, afflicted. Ill, sick mean being in bad health, not being well. Ill is the more formal word. In the U.S. the two words are used practically interchangeably except that sick is always used when the word modifies the following noun: He looks sick (ill); a sick person. In England, sick is not interchangeable with ill, but usually has the connotation of nauseous: She got sick and threw up. sick, however, is used before nouns just as in the U.S.: a sick man. 4. wrong, iniquitous. See bad1. 8. hurt, pain, affliction, misery. 9. calamity. 10. depravity. 11. illness, affliction. 13. badly.


1. well, healthy. 4. good.

Example Sentences
  • McDonough is lying dangerously ill at his residence in this city.
  • Many will tell you that students are ill prepared for the demands of higher education.
  • Under the law, four terminally ill cancer patients.
EXPAND
Dictionary.com Unabridged

I'll

[ahyl]
contraction of I will.
aisle, I'll, isle.


See contraction.

Ill.

ill.

4.
most illustrious.

Origin:
(def. 4) < Latin illustrissimus
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To ill
Collins
World English Dictionary
ill (ɪl)
 
adj , worse, worst
1.  (usually postpositive) not in good health; sick
2.  characterized by or intending evil, harm, etc; hostile: ill deeds
3.  causing or resulting in pain, harm, adversity, etc: ill effects
4.  ascribing or imputing evil to something referred to: ill repute
5.  promising an unfavourable outcome; unpropitious: an ill omen
6.  harsh; lacking kindness: ill will
7.  not up to an acceptable standard; faulty: ill manners
8.  ill at ease unable to relax; uncomfortable
 
n
9.  evil or harm: to wish a person ill
10.  a mild disease
11.  misfortune; trouble
 
adv
12.  badly: the title ill befits him
13.  with difficulty; hardly: he can ill afford the money
14.  not rightly: she ill deserves such good fortune
 
[C11 (in the sense: evil): from Old Norse illr bad]

I'll (aɪl)
 
contraction of
I will or I shall

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

ill
c.1200, "morally evil" (other 13c. senses were "malevolent, hurtful, unfortunate, difficult"), from O.N. illr "ill, bad," of unknown origin. Not related to evil. Main modern sense of "sick, unhealthy, unwell" is first recorded c.1460, probably related to O.N. idiom "it is bad to me." Illness "disease,
EXPAND
sickness" is from 1689. Slang sense of "very good, cool" is 1980s.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

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.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Slang Dictionary

ill definition


  1. mod.
    lame; dull; bad. : That broad is truly ill and has a face that would stop a clock.
  2. mod.
    and illing; illin'. excellent; cool. : We had an ill time at your party. Loved it!
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

ill

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

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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