ill purpose

USAGE SUMMARY

"ill purpose" is a completely valid phrase in written English.
It means a malicious or harmful intention, often as part of an action. Example sentence: He approached the situation with an ill purpose, hoping to make the other party look foolish or incompetent.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Wiki

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

The company is under no formal obligation to explain itself, and I don't want to suggest any ill purpose exactly.

TechCrunch

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

"It's inevitable that Facebook will be harnessed for ill purposes, such as to advance hate speech, false news, or deceptive political ads.

HuffPost

Cunning and ambition are easily turned towards ill purposes, but are not inherently negative; furthermore, daring, intelligence, and loyalty can as easily become negative.

WikiHow

People don't get seriously ill on purpose.

Huffington Post

He fills the screen with passion and ill-fated purpose.

The New York Times

State law limits contributions to individual candidates to $1,800 per election cycle, but allows each donor to give up to $30,000 to the state party for the ill-defined purpose of "party building".

The New York Times

In 2002, a "Fourth Grace" was proposed – a public-private enterprise whereby a landmark building would house the Museum of Liverpool, some other ill-defined purposes and a money-making development.

The Guardian - Arts

However section 136 is a "blunt instrument": "You're arresting people for being mentally ill for the purpose of an assessment".

The Guardian

We considered patients who met any of these three criteria to be severely ill for the purpose of this analysis.

Critical Care

Another way of achieving an overall picture of the family was to get to know them by discussing their daily life and interests before their child had become ill, with the purpose of being able to offer the best care for each (individual) family.

BMC Pediatrics

Instead, he relies upon two Supreme Court cases decided in latter half of the 20th century, in which the Court interpreted the Fifth Amendment's requirement of a "public use" to require only an ill-defined public purpose.

Huffington Post

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "ill purpose" to specifically denote a deliberate intention to cause harm or negative outcomes. It's stronger than simply 'bad intention' and implies a degree of maliciousness.

Common error

Avoid using "ill purpose" when you mean something lacks a clear or defined goal. "Ill purpose" is about malicious intent, not lack of clarity. Instead, use phrases like "unclear "purpose"" or "undefined "objective"".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "ill purpose" functions as a noun phrase, where "ill" modifies the noun "purpose", indicating a negative or malicious intention. According to Ludwig, the phrase is grammatically correct. Examples show it used to describe deliberate harmful intentions.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

33%

Wiki

33%

Science

33%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Academia

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "ill purpose" is a grammatically correct phrase that signifies a malicious or harmful intention. Ludwig AI confirms its validity. While not very common, it's used across various contexts like news, wikis and science. If you seek alternatives, consider phrases like "malicious intent" or "harmful intention" to convey similar meanings. When writing, use "ill purpose" to emphasize the deliberate negativity behind an action and avoid confusing it with a mere lack of clarity or undefined objectives.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

malicious intent

Replaces "ill" with "malicious", emphasizing the malicious nature of the intention.

harmful intention

Focuses on the potential harm resulting from the intention.

evil motive

Uses "evil" to amplify the negativity and replaces "purpose" with the more personal "motive".

sinister design

Suggests a more calculated and scheming intention.

wicked scheme

Implies a secret and morally wrong plan.

nefarious plan

Replaces "purpose" with plan, suggesting something more concrete, and amplifies the negative aspect.

bad intention

Simplifies the phrase using "bad" instead of "ill".

ulterior motive

Suggests a hidden and potentially dishonorable reason.

dishonorable aim

Emphasizes the lack of honor in the objective.

malevolent goal

Highlights the wish to do evil to others

FAQs

What does "ill purpose" mean?

"Ill purpose" refers to a bad or malicious intention; a desire to do something harmful or negative.

How can I use "ill purpose" in a sentence?

You can say, "He approached the negotiation with an "ill purpose", intending to undermine the agreement from the start."

What are some synonyms for "ill purpose"?

Synonyms include "malicious intent", "harmful intention", and "evil motive".

Is "ill purpose" a common phrase?

While grammatically correct, "ill purpose" is not as frequently used as alternatives like "bad intention". Its usage suggests a more formal or emphatic context.