ailing

adjective

ail·​ing ˈā-liŋ 

: having or suffering from an illness or injury

providing care for his ailing mother

trying to rest her ailing knee/back

a person in ailing health

—often used figuratively

an ailing company

an ailing economy

Synonyms of ailing

• fragile
• dying
• frail
• sickly
• sick
• weak
• invalid
• weakly

Examples of ailing in a Sentence

when his ailing wife had to go to a nursing home, he visited her every day

he was ailing from some sort of infection in his eye that made it look all red and puffy

Recent Examples on the Web

Perhaps unsurprisingly, subsequent attempts at diplomacy, led by the ailing diplomat and intellectual Benjamin Franklin, also proved ineffective. — Sarah M.s. Pearsall, The Conversation, 2 July 2026

Sneed played through an ailing knee injury during his final season in Kansas City, then managed to take the field for only 12 games in two years with the Titans. — Kansas City Star, 1 July 2026

Casey Schmitt was scratched from Sunday’s starting lineup due to an illness, but entered the game for the ailing Adames. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 30 June 2026

Her death was announced to TMZ by her boyfriend Roy Hernandez, who had just this week set up a GoFundMe page for the ailing Chase. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 17 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

from present participle of ail entry 1

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ailing

• bailing
• baling
• failing
• flailing
• grayling
• hailing
• jailing
• mailing
• nailing
• paling
• railing
• sailing