ill news spreads apace
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Bad news circulates quickly because people tend to gossip.
Register: archaic
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
Aware of the too great proneness of his countrymen to ideas of despondency, knowing that ill news spreads apace, and that in an overgrown metropolis few have the opportunity of ocular demonstration of the state of the country's agriculture, this insidious letter has been written, that it might becom
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “ill news spreads apace” mean?
Bad news circulates quickly because people tend to gossip.
Is “ill news spreads apace” formal or informal?
ill news spreads apace is generally archaic.