ILL-BEING Synonyms: 57 Similar and Opposite Words

ill-being

noun

Definition of ill-being

as in unhappiness

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of ill-being Their findings, some previously covered in Fortune, draw on a deep dataset spanning dozens of countries to confirm that ill-being is no longer hump-shaped in age — the young are now the most miserable cohort globally. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 6 July 2026 Based on a dataset covering 34 countries from 2020 to 2023 from Sapien Labs’ Global Mind Project, the authors showed that ill-being is currently at higher levels at younger ages—and the trend is not a hump shape—across these countries. — Deena Mousa, Scientific American, 12 July 2024

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill-being

Noun

But somehow, in the midst of all this frat-boy revelry, Ilya is able to outline his vision for the future, one in which AI will have solved numerous human problems, including eradicating not only cancer but also loneliness and unhappiness.

— Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 7 Oct. 2026
And while there’d been some unhappiness between her and the Borden girls a few years before the murders — a disagreement over a property the family owned — there wasn’t the kind of outright resentment portrayed in the show.

— Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of unhappiness

Noun

There was a moment this week when tears of sadness gave way to elation for one California couple.

— Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
The local journalists who cover the Bend community every day were not immune from the grief and sadness after today’s deadly shooting of children at an elementary school.

— Phil Helsel, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of sadness

Noun

Waiting for the Jets are the defending AFC champion Patriots and a stadium that has delivered far more misery than milestones.

— Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026
With Dunham as creator, showrunner and star, the original series followed a group of friends through the misery and dysfunction of their 20s in New York City.

— Selome Hailu, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of misery

Noun

The protagonist becomes a wise-guy version of Benjamin’s Angel of History, watching calamities accumulate before his eyes.

— Alex Ross, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
The toxic loans were also packaged and peddled around the world to banks everywhere, resulting in a calamity.

— Gary Franks, Hartford Courant, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of calamity

Noun

As our cantankerous lead, Molina harumphs lovably from scene to scene, conveying both his character’s indomitable will and the wretchedness of his grief.

— Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 31 May 2026
Director Penny Lane interviews jazz critics who howl at his wretchedness, then balances it with fans who simply don’t care.

— Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Feb. 2026

Definition of wretchedness

Noun

Wichita Mayor Lily Wu said on her personal Facebook page that the incident left her filled with sorrow.

— Dennis Romero, NBC news, 18 Oct. 2026
Like many songwriters who’ve ever poured their romantic sorrows out in their music, the challenge in this new era was getting acquainted with writing from a place of happiness instead, which can be a source of anxiety itself.

— Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of sorrow

Browse Nearby Words

illaudable

ill-being

ill-beings

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Style

“Ill-being.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill-being. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of ill-being

noun

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