ill-humoured

IPA/ˌɪl ˈhjuːməd/
IPA/ˌɪl ˈhjuːmərd/

ill-humoured — adjective

1. showing or feeling annoyance and a lack of friendliness, so that the person spea

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

showing or feeling annoyance and a lack of friendliness, so that the person speaks sharply, frowns, or refuses to be pleasant to those around them.

Example

Paloma gave an ill-humoured grunt when her colleagues asked her to join lunch.

attributive: ill-humoured + noun (grunt, reply, remark)

Rachid was ill-humoured all morning after spilling coffee on his new shirt.

predicative: be ill-humoured + time phrase

Common collocations
  • ill-humoured reply
  • ill-humoured grunt
  • ill-humoured remark
  • tired and ill-humoured
Synonyms
  • grumpy

    more everyday and informal; same meaning

  • bad-tempered

    very close synonym, slightly more neutral in register

  • surly

    stronger — adds the idea of being rude or unwelcoming, not just unhappy

  • irritable

    stresses the readiness to become angry, not just the present mood

Antonyms
  • good-humoured

    direct opposite — cheerful and friendly

  • cheerful

    general opposite, more common in daily speech

Usage Note

Mainly British spelling; the American form is 'ill-humored'. Frequently attributive (before a noun like 'reply', 'grunt', 'remark'). When predicative, often followed by a time phrase ('all morning', 'for hours') signalling a passing mood rather than a permanent trait.

Common Mistakes

She is an ill-humoured.
She is ill-humoured.
it is an adjective, not a noun; do not use it with an article on its own.
He is ill-humoured at his brother.
He is annoyed at his brother.
ill-humoured describes a general mood, not a feeling aimed at a specific target.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All five describe an unhappy or unfriendly mood, but they differ in register and the kind of behaviour they suggest. 'Grumpy' is the everyday, informal choice — children, tired adults, and pets can all be grumpy without it sounding harsh. 'Bad-tempered' is neutral and the closest plain-English equivalent of 'ill-humoured'; both work well in writing. 'Ill-humoured' itself leans British and slightly literary, and is often attributive ('an ill-humoured reply'). 'Surly' is stronger: it implies the person is openly rude or unwelcoming, not just quietly miserable — a surly waiter ignores you, while an ill-humoured waiter merely frowns. 'Irritable' shifts the focus from the present mood to a tendency to become angry quickly, often for health or stress reasons. So you might write: 'After a sleepless night, the normally cheerful nurse was irritable and ill-humoured with every patient.'

ill-humoured ↗grumpy ↗bad-tempered ↗surly ↗irritable ↗

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

A compound of 'ill' (meaning 'bad' or 'poorly') and 'humour' in its older medical sense. From medieval times until the 1700s, doctors believed the body contained four fluids called humours, and a person's mood depended on the balance between them. To be 'in a good humour' meant the fluids were balanced and the person felt cheerful; to be 'in an ill humour' meant they were out of balance and the person felt cross. The adjective 'ill-humoured' is recorded in English from the early 1600s and has kept the mood-related meaning even after the medical theory was abandoned.