ill

[il] /ɪl/
adjective, worse, worst.
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.
6.
of inferior worth or ability; unskillful; inexpert:
an ill example of scholarship.
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.
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.
17.
faultily; improperly.
18.
with difficulty or inconvenience; scarcely:
Buying a new car is an expense we can ill afford.
Idioms
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
Can be confused
ill, sick (see synonym study at the current entry)
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.
Antonyms
1. well, healthy. 4. good.
Grammar note
See well1.

I'll

[ahyl] /aɪl/
1.
contraction of I will.
Can be confused
aisle, I'll, isle.
Usage note
See contraction.

Ill.

1.
Illinois.

ill.

1.
illustrated.
2.
illustration.
3.
illustrator.
4.
most illustrious.
Origin
(def 4) < Latin illustrissimus
Examples from the web for ill
  • Many will tell you that students are ill prepared for the demands of higher education.
  • The whale appeared to be ill from wounds that became infected as the rope dug into its skin.
  • Researchers uncover gene mutations that contribute to disease by screening the genomes of thousands of healthy and ill people.
  • He became ill and disabled and spent the last years of his life in an insane asylum.
  • In some cases engines have even fallen off with no ill effect.
  • As a result the city was ill prepared for the unexpected quake.
  • The day after an awesome tailgate party, you feel deathly ill.
  • That's a better plan of action than feeling uncomfortable and it could potentially defuse the situation without ill feeling.
  • Over the centuries, society's approaches to treating the mentally ill have shifted dramatically.
  • How many of those workers will become ill is difficult to foretell.
British Dictionary definitions for ill

ill

/ɪl/
adjective 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
noun
9.
evil or harm: to wish a person ill
10.
a mild disease
11.
misfortune; trouble
adverb
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
Word Origin
C11 (in the sense: evil): from Old Norse illr bad

Ill.

abbreviation
1.
Illinois

I'll

/aɪl/
contraction
1.
I will or I shall
Word Origin and History for ill
adj.

c.1200, "morally evil" (other 13c. senses were "malevolent, hurtful, unfortunate, difficult"), from Old Norse illr "ill, bad," of unknown origin. Not related to evil. Main modern sense of "sick, unhealthy, unwell" is first recorded mid-15c., probably related to Old Norse idiom "it is bad to me." Slang inverted sense of "very good, cool" is 1980s. As a noun, "something evil," from mid-13c.

v.

early 13c., "to do evil to," from ill (adj.). Meaing "to speak disparagingly" is from 1520s. Related: Illed; illing.

adv.

c.1200, "wickedly; with hostility;" see ill (adj.). Meaning "not well, poorly" is from c.1300. It generally has not shifted to the realm of physical sickess, as the adjective has done. Ill-fated recorded from 1710; ill-informed from 1824; ill-tempered from c.1600; ill-starred from c.1600. Generally contrasted with well, hence the useful, but now obsolete or obscure illcome (1570s), illfare (c.1300), and illth.

ill in Medicine

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.
Slang definitions & phrases for ill

ill

adjective
  1. Arrested or detained on suspicion; jailed (1960s+ Underworld)
  2. Very good; excellent; cool: Ill: very good or bad (1980s+ Black teenagers)
  3. Very bad: Ill: very good or bad (1980s+ Black teenagers)

Related Abbreviations for ill

ill.

  1. illustrated
  2. illustration

Ill.

Illinois
Idioms and Phrases with ill

ill

, also see under
get sick