Ill vs. Seek — What's the Difference?
By Fiza Rafique & Urooj Arif — Updated on May 9, 2024
"Ill" is an adjective describing poor health or an unfavorable condition, while "seek" is a verb meaning to look for or try to obtain something. One indicates a state of health or quality, while the other signifies an action.
Difference Between Ill and Seek
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
"Ill" refers to a state of poor health or a negative situation. "Seek," however, means to search for, pursue, or aim to achieve a goal or object.
"Ill" can describe a physical condition, as in sickness, or a metaphorical one, like ill fortune. "Seek," on the other hand, refers to the process of actively trying to find or achieve something, like seeking advice or knowledge.
"Ill" is usually an adjective used to qualify nouns, such as "ill patient" or "ill intentions." "Seek" functions as a verb indicating action, as in "seek help."
"Ill" can be a noun referring to an undesirable event or outcome (e.g., "ills of society"), while "seek" cannot function this way.
"Ill" is generally about existing conditions or states, while "seek" involves purposeful action and forward-thinking intentions.
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Comparison Chart
Part of Speech
Adjective, noun
Verb
Definition
Unhealthy or unfavorable condition
Search for or aim to obtain something
Common Usage
Poor health, negative situations
Pursuing goals, advice, or resources
Focus
Describes a state
Describes an action
Examples
"Ill patient," "ill fortune"
"Seek advice," "seek new opportunities"
Compare with Definitions
Ill
In poor health or feeling unwell.
She stayed home because she was ill with a cold.
Seek
To strive toward achieving a goal or obtaining something.
They seek a new job to advance their careers.
Ill
Indicating something harmful or unfavorable.
His ill intentions were apparent from the start.
Seek
To look for or search for something.
She sought her lost keys everywhere in the house.
Ill
An undesirable event or result.
They discussed the ills of the educational system.
Seek
To request or ask for advice or assistance.
He sought legal advice from a reputable lawyer.
Ill
Bad or evil in quality or effect.
The team faced an ill fate after losing the finals.
Seek
To try to discover or uncover new information.
The researchers seek to understand the long-term effects.
Ill
Poor in skill or ability.
His ill-prepared argument fell flat with the jury.
Seek
To aim or direct efforts toward something specific.
The committee seeks to implement new educational policies.
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
Seek
To try to locate or discover; search for
Animals seeking prey.
Ill
Poor in quality
Ill judgement dogs the unsuccessful
Seek
To endeavor to obtain or reach
Seek a college education.
Ill
Badly, wrongly, or imperfectly
The street is dominated by ill-lit shops
It ill becomes one so beautiful to be gloomy
Seek
To go to or toward
Water seeks its own level.
Ill
Only with difficulty; hardly
She could ill afford the cost of new curtains
Seek
To inquire for; request
Seek directions from a police officer.
Ill
A problem or misfortune
A lengthy work on the ills of society
Seek
To try; endeavor
Seek to do good.
Ill
Not healthy; sick
I began to feel ill last week.
Seek
To make a search or investigation
Seek and you will find.
Ill
Not normal; unsound
An ill condition of body and mind.
Seek
(ambitransitive) To try to find; to look for; to search for.
I seek wisdom.
Ill
Resulting in suffering; harmful or distressing
The ill effects of a misconceived policy.
Seek
(transitive) To ask for; to solicit; to beseech.
I seek forgiveness through repentance.
Ill
Resulting from or suggestive of evil intentions
Ill deeds committed out of spite.
Seek
(transitive) To try to acquire or gain; to strive after; to aim at.
I sought my fortune on the goldfields.
Ill
Ascribing an objectionable quality
Holds an ill view of that political group.
Seek
To go, move, travel (in a given direction).
Ill
Hostile or unfriendly
Ill feeling between rivals.
Seek
(transitive) To try to reach or come to; to go to; to resort to.
When the alarm went off I sought the exit in a panic.
Ill
Harmful; pernicious
The ill effects of a misconceived policy.
Seek
To attempt, endeavour, try
Our company does not seek to limit its employees from using the internet or engaging in social networking.
Ill
Not favorable; unpropitious
Ill predictions.
Seek
To navigate through a stream.
Ill
Not measuring up to recognized standards of excellence, as of behavior or conduct
Ill manners.
Seek
(computing) The operation of navigating through a stream.
Ill
(Slang) Excellent; outstanding
Your new car is really ill!.
Seek
Sick.
Ill
In a bad, inadequate, or improper way. Often used in combination
My words were ill-chosen.
Seek
To go in search of; to look for; to search for; to try to find.
The man saked him, saying, What seekest thou? And he said, I seek my brethren.
Ill
In an unfavorable way; unpropitiously
A statistic that bodes ill for job growth.
Seek
To inquire for; to ask for; to solicit; to beseech.
Others, tempting him, sought of him a sign.
Ill
Scarcely or with difficulty
We can ill afford another mistake.
Seek
To try to acquire or gain; to strive after; to aim at; as, to seek wealth or fame; to seek one's life.
Ill
Evil, wrongdoing, or harm
The ill that befell the townspeople.
Seek
To try to reach or come to; to go to; to resort to.
Seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal.
Since great Ulysses sought the Phrygian plains.
Ill
Something that causes suffering; trouble
The social ills of urban life.
Seek
To make search or inquiry; to endeavor to make discovery.
Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read.
To seekUpon a man and do his soul unrest.
Ill
Something that reflects in an unfavorable way on one
Please don't speak ill of me when I'm gone.
Seek
The movement of a read/write head to a specific data track on a disk
Ill
(used with a pl. verb) Sick people considered as a group. Often used with the.
Seek
Try to get or reach;
Seek a position
Seek an education
Seek happiness
Ill
(obsolete) Evil; wicked (of people).
Seek
Try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of;
The police are searching for clues
They are searching for the missing man in the entire county
Ill
(archaic) Morally reprehensible (of behaviour etc.); blameworthy.
Seek
Make an effort or attempt;
He tried to shake off his fears
The infant had essayed a few wobbly steps
The police attempted to stop the thief
He sought to improve himself
She always seeks to do good in the world
Ill
Indicative of unkind or malevolent intentions; harsh, cruel.
He suffered from ill treatment.
Seek
Go to or towards;
A liquid seeks its own level
Ill
Unpropitious, unkind, faulty, not up to reasonable standard.
Ill manners; ill will
Seek
Inquire for;
Seek directions from a local
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.
Ill
Having an urge to vomit.
Seeing those pictures made me ill.
Ill
(hip-hop slang) Sublime, with the connotation of being so in a singularly creative way.
Ill
(slang) Extremely bad (bad enough to make one ill). Generally used indirectly with to be.
That band was ill.
Ill
(dated) Unwise; not a good idea.
Ill
Not well; imperfectly, badly
Ill
(often pluralized) Trouble; distress; misfortune; adversity.
Music won't solve all the world's ills, but it can make them easier to bear.
Ill
Harm or injury.
I wouldn't want you to do me ill.
Ill
Evil; moral wrongfulness.
Ill
A physical ailment; an illness.
I am incapacitated by rheumatism and other ills.
Ill
PCP, phencyclidine.
Ill
To behave aggressively.
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.
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.
Ill
Sick; indisposed; unwell; diseased; disordered; as, ill of a fever.
I am in health, I breathe, and see thee ill.
Ill
Not according with rule, fitness, or propriety; incorrect; rude; unpolished; inelegant.
That 's an ill phrase.
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.
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.
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.
Ill
An often persistent bodily disorder or disease; a cause for complaining
Ill
Not in good physical or mental health;
Ill from the monotony of his suffering
Ill
Resulting in suffering or adversity;
Ill effects
It's an ill wind that blows no good
Ill
Distressing;
Ill manners
Of ill repute
Ill
Indicating hostility or enmity;
You certainly did me an ill turn
Ill feelings
Ill will
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
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
Ill
Unfavorably or with disapproval;
Tried not to speak ill of the dead
Thought badly of him for his lack of concern
Ill
With difficulty or inconvenience; scarcely or hardly;
We can ill afford to buy a new car just now
Common Curiosities
Can "ill" and "seek" be used together?
Yes, one might seek help when ill or seek solutions to society's ills.
Does "ill" always mean physical sickness?
Not always. It can also mean harmful intentions, misfortune, or poor quality.
Does "seek" imply a successful outcome?
Not necessarily. It implies intention and effort, but success isn't guaranteed.
Is "seek" always about finding something physical?
No, it can also refer to seeking non-physical things like advice, knowledge, or goals.
Is "seek" a formal term?
It's used formally but is also common in casual speech.
Can "seek" be used in past tense?
Yes, the past tense is "sought."
Can "ill" be a noun?
Yes, it can refer to undesirable outcomes or misfortunes, as in "social ills."
Is "ill" interchangeable with "sick"?
They can often be used interchangeably, but "ill" is slightly more formal.
Is "ill" commonly used metaphorically?
Yes, it's often used metaphorically for non-physical situations like "ill fate."
Does "seek" imply urgency?
Not always, but it often suggests a purposeful search.
Does "seek" always imply a specific target?
It generally implies searching for something specific, whether tangible or abstract.
Can "ill" describe mental health conditions?
Yes, it can refer to both physical and mental health issues.
Is "ill" used in medical contexts?
It can describe general sickness but isn't a specific medical term.
Is "ill" used in everyday speech?
Yes, it’s used in both everyday and formal contexts.
Is "seek" used in professional environments?
Yes, it's often used in professional contexts to describe goal-oriented actions.
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Written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
