ill will
ill will — noun
1. bad feelings that continue between people or groups because of something unpleas
bad feelings that continue between people or groups because of something unpleasant that happened between them in the past
The Chen family and the Park family finally put aside the ill will from the property dispute.
collocation: put aside ill will
Ill will between the neighbouring shops had been growing ever since the price war began.
pattern: ill will + between + plural noun
Amara and Diego tried to move past the ill will that their argument had created.
Years of ill will made it impossible for the two teams to share the training ground.
Wei felt no ill will toward Omar once the misunderstanding was cleared up.
- resentment
stronger, often implies a sense of unfairness that is held onto for a long time
- bad blood
more informal, specifically between people or groups with a history of conflict
- grudge
a personal feeling of anger held against one specific person for something they did
文法句型
ill will + between [people]
ill will + toward/towards [person]
用法筆記
Often used with verbs like 'put aside', 'set aside', 'let go of' when describing the act of forgiving or moving on. Frequently appears in the pattern 'ill will between [two parties]'.
常見錯誤
2. a feeling of anger directed at a particular person because of a specific action
a feeling of anger directed at a particular person because of a specific action they have taken that you think is wrong or unfair
Clara said she bore no ill will against the man who had stolen her idea.
pattern: bear + no + ill will + against
The office workers felt ill will towards the manager after he cancelled their bonuses without warning.
collocation: feel ill will towards
Anjali could not hide the ill will she felt when her colleague took credit for her work.
Despite everything that had happened, the old fisherman held no ill will toward the man who had cheated him.
- resentment
more about brooding over unfair treatment; ill will can be more immediate
- animosity
stronger, more formal, suggests active dislike or hostility
- spite
implies a desire to hurt or annoy the other person, which ill will does not necessarily include
- forgiveness
the decision to stop feeling angry toward someone
- understanding
a willingness to see the other person's point of view
文法句型
bear [someone] ill will
feel/have ill will against [someone]
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 (LINGERING RESENTMENT): this sense is triggered by a specific recent action, not by long‑standing past events. Very common in the negative pattern 'bear/hold/feel no ill will' to deny that one is angry.
常見錯誤
3. a general unfriendly or hostile attitude toward someone, shown through words or
a general unfriendly or hostile attitude toward someone, shown through words or behaviour rather than caused by a single event
The mayor's plan was received with ill will by the local community.
pattern: received with ill will
Vikram could sense the ill will in the room when he walked in late.
The shopkeeper's rude tone revealed the ill will he had always felt toward the family.
Yuki tried to ignore the ill will that Hana showed her at every meeting.
The politician's speech was full of ill will toward his political rivals.
- hostility
stronger and more active — ill will can be a quiet feeling; hostility is openly shown
- animosity
similar intensity, often used in political or group contexts
- antagonism
suggests active opposition or conflict rather than just an attitude
- friendliness
a warm, open attitude toward others
- kindness
action or behaviour that shows care for others
文法句型
ill will + toward/towards [someone]
receive [something] with ill will
用法筆記
This is the broadest sense, describing a general hostile disposition rather than a specific grievance. Often shows up in descriptions of tone of voice, body language, or behaviour — not just internal feeling.