ill

ill

I

ill¹ S3 W2 /ɪl/ adjective1. especially British English suffering from a disease or not feeling well
   SYN  sick American English:
    Bridget can’t come – she’s ill.
    I was feeling ill that day and decided to stay at home.
    ill with
    Her husband has been ill with bladder trouble.
    a hospice for the terminally ill
2. [only before noun] bad or harmful:
    Many people consumed the poisoned oil without ill effects.
    the neglect and ill treatment of children
    He was unable to join the army because of ill health.
3. ill at ease nervous, uncomfortable, or embarrassed:
    He always felt shy and ill at ease at parties.
4. it’s an ill wind (that blows nobody any good) spoken used to say that every problem brings an advantage for someone
⇨ ill feeling, ill will
     

COLLOCATIONS

■ verbs
   ▪ be ill What’s wrong? Are you ill?
   ▪ feel ill I’ve been feeling ill since I woke up this morning.
   ▪ look ill He looked rather ill when I saw him.
   ▪ become ill (also get ill informal) She became ill after eating oysters.
   ▪ fall ill formal (=become ill) Louise fell ill while she was on holiday.
   ▪ be taken ill (=become ill suddenly) Henry was suddenly taken ill and had to go to the hospital.
   ▪ make somebody ill I think it was the heat that made me ill.
■ adverbs
   ▪ seriously ill (=very ill) Any seriously ill patients are usually sent to a state hospital.
   ▪ gravely ill formal (=extremely ill) She went to visit her grandfather, who was gravely ill.
   ▪ critically ill (=so ill that you might die) He got news that his mother was critically ill in hospital.
   ▪ terminally ill (=having a very serious illness that you will die from) He is terminally ill with cancer.
   ▪ chronically ill (=having a long-term illness that cannot be cured and will not get better) Chronically ill patients often find it difficult to get travel insurance.
   ▪ mentally ill (=having an illness of your mind) Caring for mentally ill people can be challenging.
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ ill [not before noun] especially British English suffering from a disease or not feeling well: Her mother is seriously ill in hospital. | I woke up feeling really ill.
   ▪ sick especially American English ill: She’s been sick with the flu. | a sick child | Dan got sick on vacation.
   ▪ not very well [not before noun] ill, but not seriously ill: Sarah’s not very well – she has a throat infection.
   ▪ unwell [not before noun] formal ill: The singer had been unwell for some time. | Symptoms include fever, aching muscles, and feeling generally unwell.
   ▪ poorly [not before noun] British English spoken ill: Your grandmother’s been very poorly lately.
   ▪ in a bad way [not before noun] very ill because of a serious injury or disease: You’d better call an ambulance – she looks like she’s in a bad way.
   ▪ be off sick British English, be out sick American English to be not at work because of an illness: Two teachers were off sick yesterday.
■ slightly ill
   ▪ under the weather (also off colour British English) [not before noun] informal slightly ill: Sorry I haven’t called you – I’ve been a bit under the weather lately. | You look a bit off colour – are you sure you’re OK?
   ▪ run down [not before noun] feeling slightly ill and tired all the time, for example because you have been working too hard, or not eating well: Some people take extra vitamins if they are feeling run down.
■ often ill
   ▪ in poor health unhealthy and often ill: Chopin was already in poor health when he arrived on the island.
   ▪ delicate weak and likely to become ill easily: She was delicate and pale and frequently complained of headaches. | He had a delicate constitution and throughout his adult life suffered from various illnesses.
   ▪ sickly a sickly child is often ill: He was a sickly child and spent a lot of time at home on his own. | His younger daughter was sickly and died when she was young.

II

ill² adverb
1. somebody can ill afford (to do) something to be unable to do or have something without making the situation you are in very difficult:
    I was losing weight which I could ill afford to lose.
    Most gamblers can ill afford their habit.
2. think/speak ill of somebody formal to think or say unpleasant things about someone:
    She really believes you should never speak ill of the dead.
3. bode ill formal to give you a reason to think that something bad will happen:
    The look on his face boded ill for somebody.

III

ill³ noun
1. ills [plural] problems and difficulties:
    He wants to cure all the ills of the world.
2. [uncountable] formal harm, evil, or bad luck:
    She did not like Matthew but she would never wish him ill.