I. ˈil adjective
( worse ˈwərs, -ə̄s, -əis ; also sometimes and in sense 2c often ill·er ˈilə(r) ; or nonstandard wors·er ˈwərsə(r), -ə̄s-, -əis- ; worst ˈwərst, -ə̄st, -əist ; also sometimes and in sense 2c often ill·est ˈilə̇st)
Etymology: Middle English ill, ille, from Old Norse illr
1.
a. now chiefly Scotland : immoral or vicious or corrupt or otherwise morally reprehensible
b. : resulting from or accompanied by or evidencing an evil, malicious, or malevolent intention
ill deeds that wrecked their lives
c. : that imputes evil to or implies evil in something referred to : that ascribes evil to or assumes evil in something referred to
an ill opinion of everything they did
attaching an ill significance to what was said
in ill repute
2.
a. : that causes or is accompanied by pain or discomfort or inconvenience or that is otherwise disagreeable
died an ill death
the ill smells of a fish market
had an ill taste
b. : that causes or tends to result in harm : hurtful , injurious , pernicious
its ill effects were felt for many generations — Gilbert Highet
a decision that can have only ill results
did them an ill service
c.
(1) : affected with some ailment : indisposed : not being in good health : ailing , unwell , sick
is ill with a fever
incurably ill with cancer — Time
: unsound , failing
suffers from chronically ill health
: upset , disordered
emotionally ill
mentally ill
(2) : affected by nausea often to the point of vomiting : nauseated, sick
thought she would be ill after the ride on the roller coaster
3.
a. : that is not suited to circumstances or that is not to one's advantage : unpropitious , untoward , unlucky
its leaders were choosing an ill moment for a revolution — J.A.Froude
: not promising well : inauspicious
an ill omen
: marked by unfavorable events : contrary to one's hopes and expectations
had a discouraging run of ill luck
b. : that involves difficulties with regard to the accomplishment of an objective : hard , troublesome
beauty is intangible, vague, ill to be defined — M.F.Tupper
: so difficult as to make effort useless : pointless
it is ill prophesying; but one has hope of a regeneration of our literature — Yale Review
4.
a. : that is not up to an accepted standard of worth or ability : notably imperfect or unsatisfactory : quite faulty : inferior , defective
a period of ill management
an ill specimen of humanity
b. : that is not up to an accepted standard of propriety : unpolished , crude , boorish
ill manners
ill behavior
c. archaic : notably unskillful or inexpert or inefficient : maladroit
I am ill at describing female apparel — Charles Lamb
5.
a. : unfriendly , hostile
ill feeling that culminated in bloody feuds
b. : harsh , cruel
ill treatment of minorities
c. now chiefly dialect
(1) of an animal : dangerously fierce : ferocious , savage
(2) of a person : cantankerous and irritable : cross , surly , grumpy
Synonyms: see bad
II. adverb
( worse “ ; worst “)
Etymology: Middle English ille, from Old Norse illa, from illr, adjective
1.
a. : with displeasure or offense
the remark was ill received
b. : in an unfriendly or harsh or malevolent manner
were ill treated during their stay
c. : in such a way as to reflect unfavorable estimation of something referred to or to cast aspersion or blame on something referred to
spoke very ill of them
however ill he might think of that general — John Buchan
2. : in a reprehensible manner
an ill -spent youth
3. now dialect England : to a grave extent : seriously
was ill hurt
4.
a. : not to any real extent : not really : hardly , scarcely : by the narrowest margin or none at all
can ill afford further expense
they were soon ill content — A.M.Young
b. : only with great trouble or difficulty
except in matters of doctrine Pilgrim and Puritan consorted ill together — V.L.Parrington
5.
a. : unadvantageously , unpropitiously , unluckily
warned them that it would go ill with them if they insisted
the whole affair turned out ill
b. : in a faulty or inefficient or otherwise defective manner : imperfectly , ineffectively
the economic irresponsibility of prison life left me ill equipped to live up to my good intentions — Frank O'Leary
has been bad propaganda, ill calculated to achieve its objects — G.E.G.Catlin
— often used in combination
ill -smelling
especially with adjectives in -ed
ill -prepared
III. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from ill, ille (adjective)
1.
a.
(1) : the reverse of good : evil
not knowing whether the outcome would be for good or for ill
if ill should befall her — E.T.Thurston
(2) archaic : the reverse of virtue : wickedness
b. archaic : the reverse of a good act : a wicked deed
2.
a. archaic : calamity , disaster
b. : misfortune , distress
a morbid fear of some future ill
c.
(1) : ailment , sickness
measles and other ills of childhood
(2) : something that bothers or disturbs or afflicts
once again society is asking the papers to remedy a social ill by suppressing the facts — Herbert Brucker
: difficulty , trouble , disorder
political and economic ills
3. : something (as an opinion, a remark) that reflects unfavorable estimation or casts aspersion or blame
spoke no ill of them
Synonyms: see evil
IV. abbreviation
1. illuminated; illumination
2. illustrated; illustration; illustrator
3.
[Latin illustrissimus ]
most illustrious