Josiah
Senior Member
- Location
- 50 miles east of Cincinnati, OH
I offer definitions from two dictionaries because the second one suggests an important connotation not mentioned by the first.
ilk
[ilk]
noun
1.family, class, or kind:
he and all his ilk.
adjective
2. same.
Idioms
3. of that ilk,
(in Scotland) of the same family name or place:
Ross of that ilk,i.e., Ross of Ross.
of the same class or kind.
Ilk is a certain type of person, usually a type you don't care for. The word is used in sentences like "I'm tired of you and your ilk!
When you say "you and your ilk," you mean "you and everyone just like you." And that's not usually meant in a nice way. You probably wouldn't talk about Nelson Mandela and his ilk — ilk sounds negative. Usually, you're talking about a criminal and his ilk, or a crooked politician and his ilk. If someone is talking about your ilk, it might be time to get new friends or change your ways.
ilk
[ilk]
noun
1.family, class, or kind:
he and all his ilk.
adjective
2. same.
Idioms
3. of that ilk,
(in Scotland) of the same family name or place:
Ross of that ilk,i.e., Ross of Ross.
of the same class or kind.
Ilk is a certain type of person, usually a type you don't care for. The word is used in sentences like "I'm tired of you and your ilk!
When you say "you and your ilk," you mean "you and everyone just like you." And that's not usually meant in a nice way. You probably wouldn't talk about Nelson Mandela and his ilk — ilk sounds negative. Usually, you're talking about a criminal and his ilk, or a crooked politician and his ilk. If someone is talking about your ilk, it might be time to get new friends or change your ways.