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The Old English pronoun ilca is the predecessor of the modern noun ilk, but by way of a pronoun ilk that does not exist in most dialects of modern English. That ilk is synonymous with same, and persists in Scots where it's used in the phrase of that ilk, meaning "of the same place, territorial designation, or name." It is used chiefly in reference to the names of land-owning families and their eponymous estates, as in "the Guthries of that ilk," which means "the Guthries of Guthrie." Centuries ago a misunderstanding arose concerning the Scots phrase: it was interpreted as meaning "of that kind or sort," a usage that found its way into modern English. Ilk has been established in English with its current meaning and part of speech since the late 18th century.
Synonyms
Examples of ilk in a Sentence
Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 20 Feb. 2024
Still, Fertitta and his ilk face pushback from Texans who have qualms with gambling, some from a moral standpoint and some who just don’t want to put casinos in their home state.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 9 Feb. 2024
The mystery series — as noted by many critics — is a descendant of Lost and other sci-fi dramas of its ilk, with a starry ensemble led by Rebecca Ferguson as a rebellious engineer.
—Jace Lacob, EW.com, 18 Oct. 2023
Like the best thrillers of this ilk, though, its darkest impulses do not weigh it down but rather give it a sadistic, jet-black comic edge.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 16 Oct. 2023
Running 111 minutes, the film feels draggy, lacking the snappy pacing of films like Macon County Line and its ilk.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Feb. 2024
Some fans may simply miss all the CGI candy we’ve been conditioned to expect from movies of this ilk.
—Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2024
But the commercial success of NSO Group and its ilk seems to have encouraged other companies to join this market.
—Rob Pegoraro, PCMAG, 6 Feb. 2024
Microsoft announced in March 2023 that Bing surpassed the 100 million monthly active users mark based on interest in Bing Chat and its ilk; by Microsoft's estimates, each percentage of Google's search market share that Bing could siphon away was worth as much as $2 billion to Microsoft.
—Samuel Axon, Ars Technica, 18 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ilk.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Pronoun (1)
Middle English, from Old English ilca, from *i- that, the same (akin to Goth is he, Latin, he, that) + *lik- form (whence Old English līc body) — more at iterate, like
Pronoun (2)
Middle English, adjective & pronoun, from Old English ylc, ǣlc — more at each
Noun
1790, in the meaning defined above
Pronoun (1)
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above
Pronoun (2)
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above
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Dictionary Entries Near ilk
Cite this Entry
“Ilk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ilk. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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ilk
noun
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