Bad vs. Ill — What's the Difference?
Difference Between Bad and Ill
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Bad
Not achieving an adequate standard; poor
A bad concert.
Ill
Suffering from an illness or disease or feeling unwell
He was taken ill with food poisoning
Even the seriously ill cannot get tests done immediately
A terminally ill patient
Bad
Immoral or evil.
Ill
Poor in quality
Ill judgement dogs the unsuccessful
Bad
Vulgar or obscene
Bad language.
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Ill
Badly, wrongly, or imperfectly
The street is dominated by ill-lit shops
It ill becomes one so beautiful to be gloomy
Bad
Disobedient or naughty
Bad children.
Ill
Only with difficulty; hardly
She could ill afford the cost of new curtains
Bad
Disagreeable, unpleasant, or disturbing
A bad piece of news.
Ill
A problem or misfortune
A lengthy work on the ills of society
Bad
Unfavorable
Bad reviews for the play.
Ill
Not healthy; sick
I began to feel ill last week.
Bad
Not fresh; rotten or spoiled
Bad meat.
Ill
Not normal; unsound
An ill condition of body and mind.
Bad
Injurious in effect; detrimental
Bad habits.
Ill
Resulting in suffering; harmful or distressing
The ill effects of a misconceived policy.
Bad
Not working properly; defective
A bad telephone connection.
Ill
Resulting from or suggestive of evil intentions
Ill deeds committed out of spite.
Bad
Full of or exhibiting faults or errors
Bad grammar.
Ill
Ascribing an objectionable quality
Holds an ill view of that political group.
Bad
Having no validity; void
Passed bad checks.
Ill
Hostile or unfriendly
Ill feeling between rivals.
Bad
Being so far behind in repayment as to be considered a loss
Bad loans.
Ill
Harmful; pernicious
The ill effects of a misconceived policy.
Bad
Severe; intense
A bad cold.
Ill
Not favorable; unpropitious
Ill predictions.
Bad
Being in poor health or in pain
I feel bad today.
Ill
Not measuring up to recognized standards of excellence, as of behavior or conduct
Ill manners.
Bad
Being in poor condition; diseased
Bad lungs.
Ill
(Slang) Excellent; outstanding
Your new car is really ill!.
Bad
Sorry; regretful
She feels bad about how she treated you.
Ill
In a bad, inadequate, or improper way. Often used in combination
My words were ill-chosen.
Bad
Bad·der, bad·dest Slang Very good; great.
Ill
In an unfavorable way; unpropitiously
A statistic that bodes ill for job growth.
Bad
Something that is below standard or expectations, as of ethics or decency
Weighing the good against the bad.
Ill
Scarcely or with difficulty
We can ill afford another mistake.
Bad
Badly.
Ill
Evil, wrongdoing, or harm
The ill that befell the townspeople.
Bad
A past tense of bid.
Ill
Something that causes suffering; trouble
The social ills of urban life.
Bad
Unfavorable; negative; not good.
Hiring you was very bad for this company.
The weather looks pretty bad right now.
He is in a bad mood.
You have very bad grades.
Ill
Something that reflects in an unfavorable way on one
Please don't speak ill of me when I'm gone.
Bad
Not suitable or fitting.
Do you think it is a bad idea to confront him directly?
Ill
(used with a pl. verb) Sick people considered as a group. Often used with the.
Bad
Not appropriate, of manners etc.
It is bad manners to talk with your mouth full.
Ill
(obsolete) Evil; wicked (of people).
Bad
Unhealthy; liable to cause health problems.
Lard is bad for you. Smoking is bad for you, too. Grapes are bad for dogs but not for humans.
Ill
(archaic) Morally reprehensible (of behaviour etc.); blameworthy.
Bad
(chiefly applied to a person's state of health) Sickly, unhealthy, unwell.
Joe's in a bad way; he can't even get out of bed.
I went to the hospital to see how my grandfather was doing. Unfortunately, he's in a bad state.
I've had a bad back since the accident.
Ill
Indicative of unkind or malevolent intentions; harsh, cruel.
He suffered from ill treatment.
Bad
Not behaving; behaving badly; misbehaving; mischievous or disobedient.
Stop being bad, or you will get a spanking!
Ill
Unpropitious, unkind, faulty, not up to reasonable standard.
Ill manners; ill will
Bad
Tricky; stressful; unpleasant.
Divorce is usually a bad experience for everybody involved.
Ill
Unwell in terms of health or physical condition; sick.
Mentally ill people.
I've been ill with the flu for the past few days.
Bad
Evil; wicked.
Be careful. There are bad people in the world.
Ill
Having an urge to vomit.
Seeing those pictures made me ill.
Bad
Faulty; not functional.
I had a bad headlight.
Ill
(hip-hop slang) Sublime, with the connotation of being so in a singularly creative way.
Bad
(of food) Spoiled, rotten, overripe.
These apples have gone bad.
Ill
(slang) Extremely bad (bad enough to make one ill). Generally used indirectly with to be.
That band was ill.
Bad
(of breath) Malodorous; foul.
Bad breath is not pleasant for anyone.
Ill
(dated) Unwise; not a good idea.
Bad
False; counterfeit; illegitimate.
They were caught trying to pass bad coinage.
Ill
Not well; imperfectly, badly
Bad
Unskilled; of limited ability; not good.
I'm pretty bad at speaking French.
He's a bad gardener; everything he tries to grow ends up dying.
Ill
(often pluralized) Trouble; distress; misfortune; adversity.
Music won't solve all the world's ills, but it can make them easier to bear.
Bad
Of poor physical appearance.
I look really bad whenever I get less than seven hours of sleep.
I don't look bad in this dress, do I?
Ill
Harm or injury.
I wouldn't want you to do me ill.
Bad
(informal) Bold and daring.
Ill
Evil; moral wrongfulness.
Bad
(slang) Good, superlative, excellent, cool.
Man, that new car you bought is bad!
You is bad, man!
Ill
A physical ailment; an illness.
I am incapacitated by rheumatism and other ills.
Bad
Severe, urgent.
He is in bad need of a haircut.
Ill
PCP, phencyclidine.
Bad
Overly promiscuous, licentious.
Ill
To behave aggressively.
Bad
Very attractive; hot, sexy.
Hopefully I can pull some bad bitches tonight.
Ill
Contrary to good, in a physical sense; contrary or opposed to advantage, happiness, etc.; bad; evil; unfortunate; disagreeable; unfavorable.
Neither is it ill air only that maketh an ill seat, but ill ways, ill markets, and ill neighbors.
There 's some ill planet reigns.
Bad
Not covered by funds on account.
He gave me a bad check.
Ill
Contrary to good, in a moral sense; evil; wicked; wrong; iniquitious; naughtly; bad; improper.
Of his own body he was ill, and gaveThe clergy ill example.
Bad
Badly.
I didn't do too bad in the last exam.
Ill
Sick; indisposed; unwell; diseased; disordered; as, ill of a fever.
I am in health, I breathe, and see thee ill.
Bad
Something that is bad; a harm or evil.
Ill
Not according with rule, fitness, or propriety; incorrect; rude; unpolished; inelegant.
That 's an ill phrase.
Bad
Error; mistake.
Ill
Whatever annoys or impairs happiness, or prevents success; evil of any kind; misfortune; calamity; disease; pain; as, the ills of humanity.
Who can all sense of others' ills escapeIs but a brute at best in human shape.
That makes us rather bear those ills we haveThan fly to others that we know not of.
Bad
An item (or kind of item) of merchandise with negative value; an unwanted good. Bad (economics)
Ill
Whatever is contrary to good, in a moral sense; wickedness; depravity; iniquity; wrong; evil.
Strong virtue, like strong nature, struggles still,Exerts itself, and then throws off the ill.
Bad
Used to scold a misbehaving child or pet.
Ill
In a ill manner; badly; weakly.
How ill this taper burns!
Ill fares the land, to hastening ills a prey,Where wealth accumulates and men decay.
Bad
(archaic) bid.
Ill
An often persistent bodily disorder or disease; a cause for complaining
Bad
To shell (a walnut).
Ill
Not in good physical or mental health;
Ill from the monotony of his suffering
Bad
Bade.
Ill
Resulting in suffering or adversity;
Ill effects
It's an ill wind that blows no good
Bad
Wanting good qualities, whether physical or moral; injurious, hurtful, inconvenient, offensive, painful, unfavorable, or defective, either physically or morally; evil; vicious; wicked; - the opposite of good; as, a bad man; bad conduct; bad habits; bad soil; bad air; bad health; a bad crop; bad news.
The strong antipathy of good to bad.
Ill
Distressing;
Ill manners
Of ill repute
Bad
That which is below standard or expectations as of ethics or decency;
Take the bad with the good
Ill
Indicating hostility or enmity;
You certainly did me an ill turn
Ill feelings
Ill will
Bad
Having undesirable or negative qualities;
A bad report card
His sloppy appearance made a bad impression
A bad little boy
Clothes in bad shape
A bad cut
Bad luck
The news was very bad
The reviews were bad
The pay is bad
It was a bad light for reading
The movie was a bad choice
Ill
Presaging ill-fortune;
Ill omens
Ill predictions
My words with inauspicious thunderings shook heaven
A dead and ominous silence prevailed
A by-election at a time highly unpropitious for the Government
Bad
Very intense;
A bad headache
In a big rage
Had a big (or bad) shock
A bad earthquake
A bad storm
Ill
(`ill' is often used as a combining form) in a poor or improper or unsatisfactory manner; not well;
He was ill prepared
It ill befits a man to betray old friends
The car runs badly
He performed badly on the exam
The team played poorly
Ill-fitting clothes
An ill-conceived plan
Bad
Feeling physical discomfort or pain (`tough' is occasionally used colloquially for `bad');
My throat feels bad
She felt bad all over
He was feeling tough after a restless night
Ill
Unfavorably or with disapproval;
Tried not to speak ill of the dead
Thought badly of him for his lack of concern
Bad
(of foodstuffs) not in an edible or usable condition;
Bad meat
A refrigerator full of spoilt food
Ill
With difficulty or inconvenience; scarcely or hardly;
We can ill afford to buy a new car just now
Bad
Not capable of being collected;
A bad (or uncollectible) debt
Bad
Below average in quality or performance;
A bad chess player
A bad recital
Bad
Nonstandard;
So-called bad grammar
Bad
Not financially safe or secure;
A bad investment
High risk investments
Anything that promises to pay too much can't help being risky
Speculative business enterprises
Bad
Physically unsound or diseased;
Has a bad back
A bad heart
Bad teeth
An unsound limb
Unsound teeth
Bad
Capable of harming;
Bad habits
Bad air
Smoking is bad for you
Bad
Keenly sorry or regretful;
Felt bad about letting the team down
Was sorry that she had treated him so badly
Felt bad about breaking the vase
Bad
Characterized by wickedness or immorality;
Led a very bad life
Bad
Reproduced fraudulently;
Like a bad penny...
A forged twenty dollar bill
Bad
Not working properly;
A bad telephone connection
A defective appliance
Bad
With great intensity (`bad' is a nonstandard variant for `badly');
The injury hurt badly
The buildings were badly shaken
It hurts bad
We need water bad
Bad
Very much; strongly;
I wanted it badly enough to work hard for it
The cables had sagged badly
They were badly in need of help
He wants a bicycle so bad he can taste it
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