ill
gb/ˈɪl/ us/ˈɪl/
A2
Anglais
~ 2500
Sens
0 sens
adjective
A2
state
1
Physically sick or unwell
Not feeling well because of sickness.
Schéma d’usage :
[someone] feels ill
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes confuse 'ill' with 'injured'. 'Ill' refers to sickness, not physical harm from an accident.
Synonymes
sick ('Sick' is more common in American English, while 'ill' is slightly more formal in British English.)
Antonymes
healthy ('Healthy' describes being in good physical condition, the opposite of being ill.)
Collocations
feel ill
|become ill
|fall ill
|seriously ill
|critically ill
Thèmes
health
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- She has been feeling ill since yesterday.
- He became ill after eating the seafood.
- The children were ill with the flu.
Exemples pédagogiques
- I feel ill today.
- He is very ill and cannot go to work.
- My sister became ill after the trip.
adjective
B2
property
2
Harmful or damaging
Causing bad results or problems.
Schéma d’usage :
[something] has ill effects
Synonymes
harmful ('Harmful' is more common in everyday use; 'ill' is often used in set phrases.)
Antonymes
beneficial ('Beneficial' means producing good results, the opposite of harmful.)
Collocations
ill effects
|ill consequences
|ill influence
Thèmes
society
|problems
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- The policy had ill effects on the economy.
- Smoking has many ill consequences for your health.
- He fell under the ill influence of a bad crowd.
Exemples pédagogiques
- Too much sugar has ill effects on health.
- Bad friends can have an ill influence.
- The storm had ill results for the farmers.
adverb
B2
property
3
Badly or poorly
Doing something in a bad way.
Schéma d’usage :
[someone] [does something] ill
Synonymes
badly ('Badly' is more common; 'ill' is formal or used in fixed phrases.)
Antonymes
well ('Well' means in a good way, the opposite of badly.)
Collocations
ill prepared
|ill treated
|ill suited
Thèmes
communication
|behavior
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- He was ill prepared for the exam.
- The workers were ill treated by their employer.
- She was ill suited to the role.
Exemples pédagogiques
- He was ill prepared for the trip.
- The man was ill treated by others.
- She is ill suited for this job.
Nom
B2
event
4
Harm or trouble
(Formal) Harm or problems that happen to someone.
Schéma d’usage :
[someone] suffers an ill
Synonymes
harm ('Harm' is more common; 'ill' is formal and often plural in this sense.)
Antonymes
benefit ('Benefit' means something good or helpful, the opposite of harm.)
Collocations
social ills
|cure an ill
|combat ills
Thèmes
society
|problems
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- "Poverty is one of the great social ills of our time."
- "They are working to cure the ills caused by corruption."
- "Education can address many of society's ills."
Exemples pédagogiques
- "Poverty is a big social ill."
- "The new law will help fight many ills."
- "We must try to cure these ills."
Grammaire
Forme canonique
ill
API
GB/ˈɪl/
US/ˈɪl/
Syllabes et accentuation
ill (1 syllabe)
Stress on 1st syllable (ill)
Formes du mot
Adjective
- Base: ill
- Comparative: iller, worse
- Superlative: illest, worst
Noun
- Base: ill
- Plural: ill, ills
Famille de mots
Expressions
fall ill
1/fˈɔl ˈɪl/
fixed phrase
Become sick or unwell
To start to be sick.
Exemples
- "Several passengers fell ill after the meal."
- "He fell ill on his way home."
ill at ease
1/ˈɪl ˈæt ˈiz/
fixed phrase
Feeling uncomfortable or awkward
Feeling not relaxed and uncomfortable in a place or situation.
Exemples
- "He seemed ill at ease during the interview."
- "She was ill at ease with strangers."
ill will
1/ˈɪl wˈɪl/
fixed phrase
Hostile or unfriendly feelings
A feeling of not liking someone and wanting bad things for them.
Exemples
- "There was much ill will between the two families."
- "He bore her no ill will despite their argument."
speak ill of [someone]
1/spˈik ˈɪl əv sˈʌmwˌʌn/
fixed phrase
Say bad things about someone
To talk about someone in an unkind way when they are not there.
Exemples
- "You should not speak ill of the dead."
- "She spoke ill of her former boss."