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

The Dallas City Council will vote Wednesday on whether to move forward with a plan to relocate some emergency departments from City Hall and explore redevelopment options for the site, as the debate continues over a $1 billion price tag to restore the ailing downtown building. —Everton Bailey Jr, Dallas Morning News, 26 Feb. 2026

Maybe Rice, who has been out since late November, would have elevated the Trojans’ ailing offense. —Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026

UConn Health also is expanding in a $13 million deal to purchase the ailing Waterbury Hospital. —Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 22 Feb. 2026

Moe was a three-time All-Star over a five-year career that ended early because of his perpetually ailing knees. —Eddie Pells, Chicago Tribune, 17 Feb. 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