ill
Usage
What are other ways to say ill?
The adjective ill is more mild than evil or wicked, and it appears mainly in certain fixed expressions: ill will; ill-natured. Evil applies to that which violates or leads to the violation of moral law: evil practices. Wicked implies willful and determined doing of what is very wrong: a wicked plan. Bad is the broadest and simplest term: a bad man; bad habits.Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“I felt ill at ease about them,” Waters says.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2026
Getting laid off or falling ill can lead them quickly to fall into homelessness, “eventually getting ‘slain’ by society,” it added.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026
The 72-year-old had been ill with heart problems and could not tolerate many foods, but she loved Pot Noodles.
From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026
Seve, for instance, is in ill health and drowning in Amazon boxes inside his Baltimore apartment.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
“In our house, there wasn’t a chair with four legs left whole for my ill grandmother to sit on,” she said.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
