ill

 
Pronunciation: /ɪl/

adjective

  • 1suffering from an illness or disease or feeling unwell: he was taken ill with food poisoning [with submodifier]: a terminally ill patient (as plural noun the ill) a day centre for the mentally ill
  • 2 [attributive] poor in quality: ill judgement dogs the unsuccessful
  • bad or harmful: she had a cup of the same wine and suffered no ill effects
  • not favourable or auspicious: I have had a run of ill luck a bird of ill omen

adverb

  • 1 [usually in combination] badly, wrongly, or imperfectly: the street is dominated by ill-lit shops it ill becomes one so beautiful to be gloomy
  • unfavourably or inauspiciously: a look on her face which boded ill for anyone who crossed her path
  • 2only with difficulty; hardly: she could ill afford the cost of new curtains

noun

(usually ills)
  • a problem or misfortune: a lengthy work on the ills of society
  • [mass noun] evil or harm: how could I wish him ill?

Phrases

ill at ease

uncomfortable or embarrassed.

speak (or think) ill of

say (or think) something critical about (someone).

Origin:

Middle English (in the senses 'wicked', 'malevolent', 'harmful', and 'difficult'): from Old Norse illr 'evil, difficult', of unknown origin