ill
Usage
What are other ways to say ill?
The adjective ill is more mild than evil or wicked, and it appears mainly in certain fixed expressions: ill will; ill-natured. Evil applies to that which violates or leads to the violation of moral law: evil practices. Wicked implies willful and determined doing of what is very wrong: a wicked plan. Bad is the broadest and simplest term: a bad man; bad habits.Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
If future studies confirm the connection, the researchers say it could offer clues about why some patients remain chronically ill even after the initial infection, stressor, or other trigger is no longer present.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026
Pike remained critically ill and was being treated at a Nashville-area hospital.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
As of Thursday evening, "Ms. Pike remains critically ill and is being treated at a Nashville-area hospital," lawyer Luke Ihnen wrote.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
David never admits to feeling ill, only to being “in a muddle.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Finally, Ursula Granger also became ill with “constant puking and shortness of breath,” as Jefferson’s daughter Patsy described it.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
Time, perhaps, to question whether he's got the answers to the myriad ills of his team.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
To remedy these ills, the court needs top-to-bottom reform.
From Slate ● Jul. 29, 2026
As Norway advance, is Wright correct about Scottish football's ills?
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
Ultimately, a ballot initiative won’t cure the ills that plague healthcare in the United States, said the Lown Institute’s Saini.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
She used religion as a therapy for the ills of the world and of herself, and she changed the religion to fit the ill.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
"If you have a generally iller population, that's not good for the residents, it's not good for productivity, it's not good for the economy.'"
From BBC ● May 25, 2023
This gave him an unnatural appearance and made him look iller than ever.
From The New Yorker ● Dec. 30, 2019
He got iller and iller and iller, and of course he died in the beginning of 2015 when some of the other things had started appearing in the press.
From BBC ● Nov. 23, 2016
Still, in his older, iller years, he's become kinder, even to himself, and though he wished he'd done some stuff better, he could live with it.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 23, 2012
‘You’re sorry that we are not any iller, aren’t you, Dr. Hurst?’ she remarked.
From The Youngest Girl in the School by Evelyn Sharp
The Black neighborhoods like Baldwin Hills Estates, Ladera Heights and View Park all sit hillside with some of the illest views in the city.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2026
His wife was told she should prepare for the worst, with staff describing her husband as "one of the illest people they'd ever seen".
From BBC ● May 21, 2024
Rapper Travis Scott told his nearly 12 million followers on X, the site formerly known as Twitter, that Monday “might be one for the illest days in women’s sports historyyyyyyy.”
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 2, 2024
It’s one of the illest, if not the illest Caribbean food spots in the city.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 22, 2022
There was just a little milk that was reserved for the illest patients, no butter or bread.
From Field Hospital and Flying Column Being the Journal of an English Nursing Sister in Belgium & Russia by Violetta Thurstan
Overall real-estate values are down 40% from their peaks in late 2021 in China, representing an even worse property downturn than was seen in the U.S. after the 2008 financial crisis.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
Social posts predicted “the beginning of the end,” along with smaller portions and worse food.
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
The situation only got worse as WWE muscled out nearly all regional promotions.
From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026
She said police actions had made things worse.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
Or, worse, what if he was bored with our friendship now and wanted out?
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
"It's the worst thing – injury aside – that you can experience as a footballer," Ziane tells BBC Sport.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
But as Jack Reacher says, hope for the best, and plan for the worst.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
In addition, each year between April and October crews are testing generators, redundancy systems and other equipment to prepare for the worst, Shelton said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
The nerve-racking aspect of supposedly derelict shots is that we never know what’s outside the frame, want to peer around the photographic corner, and all the while fear the worst.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
And if Emma’s dad is in prison…my brain starts imagining the worst.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
