ill (English) - Vocabulary & GRE App

ill

EN • English

//ɪl//

Direct German Translations & Equivalents:

Click any term below to jump straight to its full vocabulary entry in German:

[DE]übel [DE]schlecht

Verb Conjugation Tables & Inflections

Key Verb Forms & Inflections

Third-person singular (he/she/it):ills

Present Participle (-ing):illing

Past Participle:illed

Simple Past:illed

Definitions & Usage

adjective

(obsolete) Evil; wicked (of people).

Synonyms:

diseased poorly sick under the weather unwell ailing disgusted nauseated

adjective

(archaic) Morally reprehensible (of behaviour etc.); blameworthy.

Synonyms:

diseased poorly sick under the weather unwell ailing disgusted nauseated

adjective

Indicative of unkind or malevolent intentions; harsh, cruel.

Example: “He suffered from ill treatment.”

Synonyms:

diseased poorly sick under the weather unwell ailing disgusted nauseated

adjective

Unpropitious, unkind, faulty, not up to reasonable standard.

Example: “ill manners; ill will”

Synonyms:

diseased poorly sick under the weather unwell ailing disgusted nauseated

adjective

Unwell in terms of health or physical condition; sick.

Example: “mentally ill people”

Example: “I've been ill with the flu for the past few days.”

Synonyms:

diseased poorly sick under the weather unwell ailing disgusted nauseated

adjective

Nauseated; having an urge to vomit.

Example: “Seeing those pictures made me ill.”

Synonyms:

diseased poorly sick under the weather unwell ailing disgusted nauseated

Translations:[DE]übel [DE]schlecht

adjective

(slang, chiefly hip-hop) Sublime, with the connotation of being so in a singularly creative way.

Example: “This is the illest beat I've ever heard.”

Synonyms:

diseased poorly sick under the weather unwell ailing disgusted nauseated

adjective

(slang) Extremely bad (bad enough to make one ill). Generally used indirectly with to be.

Example: “That band was ill.”

Synonyms:

diseased poorly sick under the weather unwell ailing disgusted nauseated

adjective

(dated) Unwise; not a good idea.

Synonyms:

diseased poorly sick under the weather unwell ailing disgusted nauseated

adjective

#10

(Appalachia) Bad-tempered.

Synonyms:

diseased poorly sick under the weather unwell ailing disgusted nauseated

adverb

#11

Not well; imperfectly, badly

Example: “Such jealousy ill becomes her; she can ill afford another gaffe like that.”

Example: “Is it because this supposes an undifferentiated violence towards others and oneself that I could ill imagine in a woman?”

Synonyms:

illy

Translations:

noun

#12

(often pluralized) Trouble; distress; misfortune; adversity.

Example: “Music won't solve all the world's ills, but it can make them easier to bear.”

noun

#13

Harm or injury.

Example: “I wouldn't want you to do me ill.”

noun

#14

Evil; moral wrongfulness.

noun

#15

A physical ailment; an illness.

Example: “I am incapacitated by rheumatism and other ills.”

Translations:

noun

#16

(US, slang, uncountable) PCP, phencyclidine.

verb

#17

(intransitive, slang, dated) To behave aggressively.

Notable Literary & Historical Quotes

“St. Paul chose to magnify his office when ill men conspired to lessen it.”

— 1709 December 6, Francis Atterbury, A Sermon Preached before the Sons of the Clergy, at their Anniversary-Meeting, in the Church of St. Paul:

“A man who is conscious of having an ill character, cannot justly be angry with those who neglect and slight him.”

— 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC:

“‘Go bring her. It is ill to keep a lady waiting.’”

— 1999, George R.R. Martin, A Clash of Kings, Bantam, published 2011, page 2: