ailing

adjective

ail·​ing ˈā-liŋ How to pronounce ailing (audio)
: 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

Examples of ailing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The film would also go on to be a box office hit and Keaton would be nominated for an Academy Award for her role a playwright forced to care for the ailing playboy who circumstances land in her house. Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2024 Putin, a former KGB spy, was just 46 when he was flung to the top level of politics in 1999, plucked from relative obscurity by an ailing Boris Yeltsin to serve as Russian prime minister and soon became acting president. Adam Taylor, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024 In this regard, Scott Ellis’s production for the Roundabout Theater Company has not yet reached the ideal balance; Ryan, stepping in for an ailing Tyne Daly, has had just a few weeks to prepare. Jesse Green, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024 Haley has been traversing the state on a bus tour, holding two and sometimes three campaign events a day, ahead of the Feb. 24 primary that is effectively the anti-Trump Republican’s last chance to save her ailing candidacy. USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024 No reasonable person would expect an ailing Gill, at 66, to touch the soulful genius Meisner brought to that recording in his finest hour as a vocalist at 29. Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 21 Jan. 2024 Central banks generally responded in kind, cutting interest rates to help prop up their ailing economies with cheap money. Will Daniel, Fortune, 8 Feb. 2024 Every night has featured a complete performance of their 1991 classic Achtung Baby, with Bram van den Berg subbing in for an ailing Larry Mullen Jr. on drums. Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 5 Feb. 2024 The eight-episode drama oscillates between the AIDS crisis of the 1980s, where Hawk visits an ailing Tim in San Fransisco; and the previous decades during which these on-again-off-again lovers have crossed paths. EW.com, 27 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ailing.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

from present participle of ail entry 1

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ailing was in 1598

Dictionary Entries Near ailing

Cite this Entry

“Ailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ailing. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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