Home Synonyms ill

Synonyms of ill in English:

ill


See US English definition of ill

See UK English definition of ill

See Spanish definition of enfermo

adjective

1‘Mama was seriously ill’

SYNONYMS
unwell, sick, not well, not very well, ailing, poorly, sickly, peaky, afflicted, indisposed, infirm, liverish
out of sorts, not oneself, not in good shape, not up to par, below par, under par, bad, in a bad way
bedridden, invalided, on the sick list, valetudinarian
queasy, nauseous, nauseated
weak, feeble, frail
diseased, infected
British off colour
informal under the weather, not up to snuff, laid up, funny, peculiar, iffy, crummy, lousy, rough, groggy, green around the gills, at death's door, like death warmed up
British informal ropy, grotty, dicky
Scottish informal wabbit
Australian, New Zealand informal crook
vulgar slang crappy
dated queer, seedy
ANTONYMS

well, healthy

2‘the ill effects of tobacco smoke’

SYNONYMS
harmful, damaging, detrimental, deleterious, adverse, injurious, hurtful, destructive, pernicious, inimical, dangerous, ruinous, calamitous, disastrous, malign, malignant
unhealthy, unwholesome, poisonous, noxious, cancerous
literary malefic, maleficent, nocuous, baneful
ANTONYMS

good, beneficial

3‘the ill feeling between him and the Woodvilles’

SYNONYMS
hostile, antagonistic, acrimonious, inimical, antipathetic, poisonous
belligerent, bellicose, aggressive, pugnacious, truculent, contentious
unfriendly, unkind, unsympathetic, harsh, cruel
rancorous, resentful, spiteful, malicious, vindictive, vitriolic, malevolent, bitter, mean, nasty
informal bitchy, catty
ANTONYMS

friendly, warm

4‘a bird of ill omen’

SYNONYMS
unlucky, adverse, unfavourable, unfortunate, unpropitious, inauspicious, unpromising, infelicitous, bad, gloomy
threatening, menacing, ominous, sinister, disturbing, dire, evil, baleful, forbidding, portentous
archaic direful
rare minatory, minacious
ANTONYMS

auspicious

5‘the ill manners of her spouse’

SYNONYMS
rude, discourteous, unmannerly, impolite
bad, objectionable, unpleasant, disagreeable
impertinent, insolent, impudent, audacious, uncivil, disrespectful, churlish, crass, ungracious, graceless, boorish
informal ignorant
ANTONYMS

good, polite

6‘the ill management of their finances’

SYNONYMS
bad, poor, unsatisfactory, incompetent, unacceptable, inadequate, deficient, defective, faulty, unskilful, inexpert, amateurish
ANTONYMS

good, competent


adverb

1‘it ill became the king to behave as a vassal’

SYNONYMS
poorly, badly, imperfectly
wrongly, unsuccessfully
ANTONYMS

well

2‘the look on her face boded ill for anyone who crossed her path’

SYNONYMS
unfavourably, adversely, badly, unhappily, inauspiciously
ANTONYMS

well, auspiciously

3‘he can ill afford the loss of income’

SYNONYMS
barely, scarcely, hardly, just, only just, just possibly, narrowly
with difficulty, only with effort
British informal at a push
ANTONYMS

easily

4‘if things go ill, it's all over’

SYNONYMS
badly, adversely, unsuccessfully, unfavourably
unfortunately, unluckily, hard, inauspiciously
ANTONYMS

well, according to plan

5‘we are ill prepared for floods’

SYNONYMS
inadequately, unsatisfactorily, insufficiently, imperfectly, deficiently, defectively, poorly, badly, negligently
ANTONYMS

well, satisfactorily


noun

1ills‘the government had failed to cure many of society's ills’

SYNONYMS
problems, troubles, difficulties, misfortunes, strains, trials, tribulations, trials and tribulations, worries, anxieties, concerns
pain, suffering, hardship, misery, woe, affliction, distress, disquiet, malaise
informal headaches, probs, hassles
archaic travails

2‘he wished them no ill’

SYNONYMS
harm, hurt, injury, damage, mischief, pain, trouble, unpleasantness, misfortune, grievance, suffering, distress, anguish, trauma, grief

3ills‘the body's ills’

SYNONYMS
illnesses, ill health, poor health
ailments, disorders, complaints, afflictions, sicknesses, diseases, maladies, infirmities, indispositions
infections, contagions

Phrases

    ill at ease

    ‘he looked ill at ease in morning dress’


    SYNONYMS
    awkward, uneasy, uncomfortable, self-conscious, out of place, unnatural, inhibited, gauche, strained
    embarrassed, shy, bashful, blushing, retiring, shrinking
    unsure, uncertain, unsettled, hesitant, faltering
    restless, restive, fidgety, unrelaxed, disquieted, disturbed, discomfited, troubled, worried, anxious, on edge, edgy, nervous, tense, on tenterhooks
    apprehensive, distrustful
    British nervy
    informal fazed, discombobulated, twitchy, on pins and needles, jittery
    North American informal antsy
    rare unquiet
    ANTONYMS

    at ease, comfortable

    speak ill of

    ‘nobody wants to speak ill of the dead’


    SYNONYMS
    denigrate, disparage, cast aspersions on, criticize, be critical of, speak badly of, speak of with disfavour, be unkind about, be malicious about, be spiteful towards, blacken the name of, blacken the character of, besmirch, run down, insult, abuse, attack, slight, revile, malign, vilify
    North American slur
    informal bad-mouth, bitch about, do a hatchet job on, pull to pieces, sling mud at, throw mud at, drag through the mud, drag someone's name through the mud
    British informal rubbish, slag off, have a go at, have a pop at, slate
    rare asperse, derogate, vilipend, vituperate
    ANTONYMS

    compliment, extol