ill
[ il ]
/ ɪl /
adjective, worse, worst; ill·er, ill·est for 7.
noun
adverb
Idioms for ill
ill at ease,
socially uncomfortable; nervous: They were ill at ease because they didn't speak the language.
Origin of ill
1150–1200; Middle English
ill(e) (noun and adj.) < Old Norse
illr (adj.) ill, bad
synonym study for ill
1.
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. See
bad1.
grammar notes for ill
See
well1.
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ill
ill sick1 (see synonym study at the current entry)Words nearby ill
Definition for ill (2 of 4)
Origin of ill.
(def 4) < Latin
illustrissimus
Definition for ill (3 of 4)
Definition for ill (4 of 4)
I'll
[ ahyl ]
/ aɪl /
contraction of I will.
usage note for I'll
See
contraction.
Example sentences from the Web for ill
British Dictionary definitions for ill (1 of 3)
ill
/ (ɪl) /
adjective worse or worst
noun
adverb
Word Origin for ill
C11 (in the sense: evil): from Old Norse
illr bad
British Dictionary definitions for ill (2 of 3)
Ill.
abbreviation for
Illinois
British Dictionary definitions for ill (3 of 3)
I'll
/ (aɪl) /
contraction of
I will or I shall
Medical definitions for ill
ill
[ ĭl ]
adj.
Not healthy; sick.
Not normal, as a condition; unsound.
n.
A disease or illness, especially of animals.
Idioms and Phrases with ill
ill