Find Synonyms

ill Synonyms

Another word for ill

Choosing another word for ill depends on context, so the 60 synonyms and similar words below are separated across 7 exact definitions and ranked by match strength.
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• adjective (Context 1)

Not in full health; suffering from a disease or indisposition; sick.

Usage Example

"She stayed home from the conference because she was feeling quite sick."

Strongest
sick
unwell
ailing
Strong
indisposed
poorly
under the weather
sickly
infirm
diseased
Weak
afflicted

• adjective (Context 2)

Poor in quality, harmful, or unfavorable in nature or effect.

Usage Example

"The sudden economic downturn brought bad fortune to many small businesses."

Strongest
bad
adverse
unfavorable
harmful
Strong
detrimental
deleterious
injurious
negative
unfortunate
pernicious

• adverb (Context 3)

Badly, poorly, or in an unsatisfactory or unfavorable manner.

Usage Example

"The expedition was badly-equipped for the sudden drop in mountain temperatures."

Strongest
badly
poorly
unfavorably
Strong
inadequately
unsatisfactorily
adversely
harshly
amiss
imperfectly

• noun (Context 4)

A problem, misfortune, or affliction that causes harm or suffering (usually used in the plural).

Usage Example

"Education alone cannot cure all the social and economic ills of a nation."

Strongest
affliction
misfortune
problem
trouble
Strong
woe
tribulation
hardship
malady
blight
scourge

• adjective (Context 5)

Marked by hostility, malice, or unfriendliness (chiefly in phrases like 'ill will' or 'ill feeling').

Usage Example

"Despite the fierce debate, the two candidates parted with no hostile will toward each other."

Strongest
hostile
malicious
malevolent
Strong
unfriendly
antagonistic
acrimonious
bitter
rancorous
spiteful
unkind

• adverb (Context 6)

Scarcely, barely, or only with great difficulty.

Usage Example

"The community college can scarcely afford to lose its state funding this year."

Strongest
scarcely
barely
hardly

• noun (Context 7)

Evil, harm, or injury inflicted or intended upon someone.

Usage Example

"It is always wiser to refrain from speaking evil of absent colleagues."

Strongest
evil
harm
injury
Strong
hurt
wrong
mischief
damage
abuse
malice

Opposites of ill

The opposite of ill shifts depending on context. Common opposites include:

well
good
healthy
easily
blessing
favorable
friendly
benevolent
See all opposites of ill

Cite this Entry


Wordmom. (2026). Synonyms for Ill. In Wordmom Thesaurus. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/synonyms/ill
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