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