ill-natured

IPA/ˌɪlˈneɪ.tʃəd/
IPA/ɪlˈneɪ.tʃɚd/

ill-natured — adjective

1. showing a bad temper and treating other people in a cold or hurtful way.

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

showing a bad temper and treating other people in a cold or hurtful way.

Example

The shop owner gave an ill-natured reply when Mira asked for help.

ill-natured + reply — rude answer to a request

Salma sounded ill-natured after waiting in the long hospital line.

linking verb + ill-natured to describe manner

Common collocations
  • ill-natured reply / remark / joke / voice
  • sound ill-natured
  • grow ill-natured
  • be ill-natured to someone
Synonyms
  • grumpy

    often milder and more about a temporary bad mood

  • surly

    stresses rude, unfriendly behaviour, especially in speech

  • mean

    more informal and common in everyday conversation

Antonyms
  • good-natured

    describes someone who is naturally cheerful and easy to like

  • kind

    focuses on caring behaviour toward other people

Grammar Patterns

ill-natured + noun

be / sound / grow + ill-natured

ill-natured + to + person

Usage Note

Often used before nouns such as reply, joke, voice, or remark. It is also common after linking verbs like sound or grow when someone's unpleasant mood becomes obvious.

Word family

  • ill-naturedly
    adverbC2
  • ill-naturedness
    nounC2
  • good-natured
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

'Ill-natured' suggests a generally nasty or unfriendly manner that other people can feel in someone's words or tone. 'Grumpy' is often milder and may come from tiredness, hunger, or a short-lived bad mood. 'Surly' is stronger in face-to-face behaviour and suggests someone answers people in a rude, hostile way. 'Mean' is the most common everyday word and works well for school or family situations. 'Spiteful' goes further by implying a wish to hurt someone on purpose. A tired clerk may sound grumpy, a rude guard may be surly, a school bully may be mean, and a person who enjoys humiliating others is spiteful.

grumpy ↗surly ↗mean ↗spiteful ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • sound ill-natured
  • grow ill-natured
  • be ill-natured to someone

Prepositions

Etymology

Old NorseOld FrenchLatinEnglish

This adjective is built from 'ill', an old word meaning 'bad' or 'harmful', and 'natured', which comes from 'nature' in the sense of a person's basic character. The second part reached English through French from Latin. So 'ill-natured' originally meant 'having a bad nature' and later settled into the modern meaning of being cross, mean, or unfriendly toward others.