ill

adverb

/ɪl/

Definition

› literary badly: He treated her very ill.Not of good qualityRubbish and wasteInformal words for bad speak ill of sb formal or old-fashioned › to say unkind things about someone: I realize one shouldn't speak ill of the dead.Critical and uncomplimentary augur/bode ill formal or old-fashioned › to be a sign of bad things in the future: This weather bodes ill for the garden party tonight.Predicting things and intuition can ill afford (to do sth) formal or old-fashioned › If you can ill afford to do something, it will cause problems for you if you do it: We can ill afford to lose another member of staff.Merely and barelyAlmost

(Definition of ill adverb from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)