ailing

1 of 2

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

ailing

2 of 2

present participle of ail entry 1

Synonyms of ailing

Adjective

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

Examples of ailing in a Sentence

Adjective

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

Adjective

Still, within Newsom’s announcement today lies some pretty shiny baubles for an ailing West Coast industry that has seen production crater and over 50,000 jobs directly lost over the past six years. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 2 Nov. 2026

He is listed on the injury report as recovering from a concussion and ailing neck. — David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 29 Oct. 2026

Caminero was replaced by Mullins at third base and hobbled off the field with an ailing left foot. — Ronald Blum, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026

Expanding worker retraining programs, investing in the ailing public school system, and improving access to community colleges will do far more than tariffs to rebuild the middle class—and are the first steps in forging a new social contract. — Charles Kupchan, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

from present participle of ail entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1598, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ailing

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