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.
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.
00:10
Ill
is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
| a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal. |
adverb
Idioms 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.
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
1150–1200; Middle English ill(e) (noun and adj.) < Old Norse illr (adj.) ill, bad
Synonyms
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. 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.
Antonyms
1. well, healthy. 4. good.
1. well, healthy. 4. good.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Ill.
ill.
Origin:
(def 4) < Latin illustrissimus
(def 4) < Latin illustrissimus
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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|
Link To ill
Collins
World English Dictionary
ill (ɪl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —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] | |
| Ill. | |
| —abbreviation for | |
| Illinois | |
| I'll (aɪl) | |
| —contraction of | |
| I will or I shall | |
| 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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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
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,
sickness" is from 1689. Slang sense of "very good, cool" is 1980s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
ill (ĭl)
adj. worse (wûrs), worst (wûrst)
Not healthy; sick.
Not normal, as a condition; unsound.
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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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Slang Dictionary
ill definition
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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American Heritage
Abbreviations & Acronyms
ill.
|
| Ill. Illinois |
The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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American Heritage
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Example sentences
One evening her door was unlocked and she was in bed ill, they came back, grabbed her bag and took all her money.
Smokers are more likely to die or become seriously ill from a flu or other viral infection than non-smokers are.
But the fact that they are managing to operate at all bodes ill for the government.
They are thus ill-adapted for lower-quality coals that would produce several times more slag.
Nearby Words
Synonyms
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