ill
11
3.6
- noun
- /ɪl/
- We carry immunity to a vast spectrum of virulent ills, the majority utterly unknown to you.
- cure ills
Examples
-
Vegetarians, less vulnerable to heart disease, stroke, cancer, and other ills that flesh eaters are heir to, have thrived.
Academic text (2000) -
A person like Claire would cure many more of the world's ills than she created by living in it.
Fiction book (1990) -
And makes me rather bear the ills I have than fly.
Academic text (2014) -
And free us from all ills in this world and the next.
Blog text (4) -
It's always amazed me how many ills a hot shower can cure.
Blog text (3) -
The doctors had told her that she was fine, that her ills were psychosomatic.
Academic text (2002) -
I will never understand why physical ills are laudable, but mental illness is shunned.
Blog text (32) -
Freed from slavery to the mortal flesh, with all its faults and ills, your immortal minds can live forever.
Fiction book (2002) -
Romans ingested it powdered to counteract poison, sorcery, seizures, and other ills.
Academic text (2009) -
The doctor's diagnosis revealed that she was suffering from serious ills that required immediate treatment.
Synonyms
∞
2.3
An illness that harms the body or mind and causes symptoms
668
3.7
A health problem that affects a person, often long-term
603
1.1
A time when a person is sick and cannot do normal things
151
1.0
A time when your body is not healthy
60
3.4
A small illness that often lasts a long time
16
5.7
A health problem or pain that a person tells a doctor about
8
3.0
Being sick or having a long-term problem with your body
2
7.9
A minor illness that makes you feel unwell, like a cold
1
8.1
A time when a person feels sick or has health problems
Antonyms
Idioms
Compounds
- Vulgar
87
3.4
Having a serious problem with thinking, feeling, or behaving because of a brain condition
- UK
A serious sickness of sheep caused by a virus spread by ticks that affects their brain and nerves
- Offensive
A woman known for having a bad reputation because of her sexual life
How Severe
Surface Forms
Etymology
The noun ill for a disease comes from the old word for 'bad' and came to mean a 'bad condition' of the body, which is why people say an ill or ills for sickness. So an ill is a 'bad' health problem.