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.
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The Sheriff’s Department typically houses mentally ill prisoners at the Twin Towers, but Magaña’s family claims he was not transferred to a specialized unit within the jail that deals with more challenging cases.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026
Attempts to do that now make him ill.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
Early reports suggested that she fell ill after breaking a test tube.
From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2026
International concern has meanwhile grown over the death and suspicions that a second employee at the institute fell ill.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
She was so shrunken, so skeletal, so clearly very, very ill.
From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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Time, perhaps, to question whether he's got the answers to the myriad ills of his team.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
De Zerbi may feel he has addressed some of the ills in a squad that has finished 17th in the Premier League two seasons in succession.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
To remedy these ills, the court needs top-to-bottom reform.
From Slate ● Jul. 29, 2026
The Swiss are largely well-governed, and the country’s appeal is understandable to people who want to escape the tax rates and other ills that are common elsewhere in Europe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026
She used religion as a therapy for the ills of the world and of herself, and she changed the religion to fit the ill.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
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"If you have a generally iller population, that's not good for the residents, it's not good for productivity, it's not good for the economy.'"
From BBC ● May 25, 2023
This gave him an unnatural appearance and made him look iller than ever.
From The New Yorker ● Dec. 30, 2019
He got iller and iller and iller, and of course he died in the beginning of 2015 when some of the other things had started appearing in the press.
From BBC ● Nov. 23, 2016
Last year began with my being ill, kept on with my being iller, then I was unwell, followed by being poorly with a tiny interlude of infirmity.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 15, 2012
Still, if this be snow in earnest," he added with a cheerier tone, "it may rid us of these vermin, who'll find provand iller to get every extra day they bide.
From John Splendid The Tale of a Poor Gentleman, and the Little Wars of Lorn by Neil Munro
The Black neighborhoods like Baldwin Hills Estates, Ladera Heights and View Park all sit hillside with some of the illest views in the city.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2026
His wife was told she should prepare for the worst, with staff describing her husband as "one of the illest people they'd ever seen".
From BBC ● May 21, 2024
Rapper Travis Scott told his nearly 12 million followers on X, the site formerly known as Twitter, that Monday “might be one for the illest days in women’s sports historyyyyyyy.”
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 2, 2024
Blaze is just one of the illest low heads.
From Salon ● Mar. 6, 2021
Not knowing is worse than the very illest news.
From Grey Town An Australian Story by Gerald Baldwin
"We stand in solidarity with the high schools that are worse off. We need real measures and proper dialogue, not repression," said 16-year-old pupil Emeline.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
Prof Bob Phillips, a paediatric oncologist, says it's key for parents to look out for clusters of symptoms that may be persisting, getting worse or bigger.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
Any country afraid of turning into France could do worse than to study Denmark and Sweden.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
Newport Beach expected intense surf Friday, but the high tide turned out to be much worse than the estimates.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
But walking side by side behind him now, Mutti and I could see that his wheezing was becoming worse all the time.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
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Those types of responses have riled her critics, who have portrayed her as indecisive at best, and an opportunist at worst.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
It has also created one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, with millions of people needing medical help.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
Although he grew up in a close family in San Mateo, Calif., his three older sisters loved teasing “Little Tommy” that he was the worst athlete in the family.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Before the torch is lit in Los Angeles in 2028, make sure to consult Slate’s list of every Olympic event, ranked from worst to best, compiled by Mike Canter.
From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2026
So of course Mutti and I began to fear the worst for Papi.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
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