November 9, 2014 – Word of the Day

 ill

A person who is ill is sick. The words "ill" and "sick" have almost the same meaning.

• He feels ill.
• If you’re ill, you should just stay home and rest.
• An ill patient requires a lot of attention.
• I’m feeling kind of ill this morning.

The word "ill" has other slightly different meanings:.

• Harold bears no ill will towards his ex-wife. (He doesn’t hate her or wish bad things happen to her.)
• Criminals buried their ill-gotten gains outside in the backyard. (ill-gotten = illegally acquired)
• Knowing that the bystanders could have saved that young woman’s life, and they did nothing, makes me feel ill. (makes me feel ill = it disturbs me)
• She’s a woman of ill repute. (She has a bad reputation)
• Ill-informed voters helped elect a man who wasn’t qualified for the job. (ill-informed = people who receive bad information or who are not well educated)

The word "illness" is a noun:

• He has a severe illness.
• Mary is suffering from a mysterious illness.
• Mental illness is a problem that affects millions of people in the U.S.
• Illness from the ebola virus is so serious that it can result in death.

Click here to learn more words.