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cambridge gives this meaning of ill

not feeling well, or suffering from a disease

and this meaning of sick

physically or mentally ill; not well or healthy

So, when someone, say Alice, has got a cold, which one of following is more appropriate?

Alice is sick
Alice feels ill

or some other expression?

When I say Alice is sick (or some other more appropriate word), I would like to have my audience realize that Alice may have got a cold, other than "Alice is in trouble, Alice is insane".

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  • Do you mean "Alice has got a cold" ? Both the sentences work, also "Alice is unwell."
    – Weather Vane
    Aug 8, 2019 at 8:09
  • @WeatherVane Thanks for your reminder. I've updated OP. I heard about that "ill" or "sick", only one of them, has another meaning, like someone behaves badly like Alice has problem, Alice is in trouble, is it?
    – user98358
    Aug 8, 2019 at 8:20
  • That is not what you asked. You can use either of those sentences, but "Alice is sick" also means that she perhaps has a horrible sense of humour. But in effect, that's the same meaning but a different ailment.
    – Weather Vane
    Aug 8, 2019 at 8:21
  • @WeatherVane That is definitely what I asked. When I say Alice is sick (or some other more appropriate word), I would like to have my audience realize that Alice may have got a cold, other than "Alice is in trouble, Alice is insane".
    – user98358
    Aug 8, 2019 at 8:30
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    You could say that Alice caught a cold (idiomatic expression for getting a cold)
    – keparoo
    Aug 9, 2019 at 20:37

1 Answer 1

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Ill and sick are both adjectives that mean ‘not in good health’. We use both ill and sick after a verb such as be, become, feel, look or seem.

In British English sick means ‘to vomit’ in British English. In American English it means more generally ‘to be unwell’.

You can say also not healthy or not well.

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