as in disease
an abnormal state that disrupts a plant's or animal's normal bodily functioning
half of the staff is out sick with the usual wintertime ails
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to bother
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
parents who were at a loss to explain what was ailing their normally vivacious daughter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ail
Ben Morse, CNN, 17 Feb. 2024
In the age of generative AI, the theft of huge troves of medical information might be even more dangerous, as our health records wind up in data sets that enable off-the-books innovation in exploiting our ails.
—Steven Levy, WIRED, 12 Jan. 2024
Babak Dehghanpisheh, NBC news, 9 Jan. 2026
But the film is at its strongest during a sequence when Salim (Saleh Bakri), the son of Sharif and father of Noor, encounters Israeli soldiers who belittle him in front of his son while both on their way to pick up a prescription for Salim’s ailing father.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ail
Noun
What’s more, the age-old phrase the team’s fans have used to describe Detroit’s recent ails – ‘SOL’ or same old Lions – seems to have been banished for now.
—Ben Morse, CNN, 17 Feb. 2024
In the age of generative AI, the theft of huge troves of medical information might be even more dangerous, as our health records wind up in data sets that enable off-the-books innovation in exploiting our ails.
—Steven Levy, WIRED, 12 Jan. 2024
Verb
The brief speech was aired on state television after the most intense night yet in the wave of unrest, which began in protest at the country's ailing economy but has grown into a broader challenge to the ruling clerical regime.
—Babak Dehghanpisheh, NBC news, 9 Jan. 2026
But the film is at its strongest during a sequence when Salim (Saleh Bakri), the son of Sharif and father of Noor, encounters Israeli soldiers who belittle him in front of his son while both on their way to pick up a prescription for Salim’s ailing father.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ail
Noun
-
The research accounted for reduced availability of key nutrients in seafood, including calcium, omega-3 fatty acids, protein and iron -- the loss of which can be linked to increases in disease risk and additional deaths.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Crown rot is a disease where fungi or bacteria attack the base of the plant near the soil line.—
Leanne Potts,
Better Homes & Gardens,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Take a seat on an icy throne—the cold never bothered you anyway.—
Ginger Crichton,
Midwest Living,
9 Jan. 2026
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Don’t bother wasting your money—using it more than once a day won’t yield ‘better’ or faster results.—
Ali Pantony,
Glamour,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In 2010, two years before his death at 82 from complications of heart and lung ailments, Reisman founded Table Tennis Nation.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Wide receiver Kayshon Boutte, who popped up on the injury report Thursday with a hamstring ailment, was present.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The images alarmed many onlookers, watchdogs and people whose photos had been manipulated, and there was a sustained pushback on X leading up to the change.—
Kevin Collier,
NBC news,
9 Jan. 2026
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That the administration appears unconcerned by this fact should alarm everyone else.—
Jon Duffy,
Mercury News,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Here's what to know about the mysterious illness.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
15 Jan. 2026
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Without antibiotic treatment, the disease can lead to serious illness, including kidney damage, liver failure, meningitis and difficulty breathing.—
Melissa Rudy,
FOXNews.com,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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He was also disturbed by the 2016 murder of Labour parliamentarian Jo Cox by a far-right figure associated with neo-Nazi groups who had been radicalized online.—
Andrew Lapin,
Sun Sentinel,
12 Jan. 2026
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But then Detective Nathanial Saint shows up carrying disturbing news and an even more unexpected jolt of creativity.—
Lizz Schumer,
PEOPLE,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
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As a result of her work with AMRs, Wise avoids framing humanoids as some sort of industrial panacea for every economic ill, from labor shortages to manufacturing bottlenecks.—
James Vincent,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
-
Certainly, in the past several years, the app has been blamed for any number of contemporary social ills.—
Naomi Fry,
New Yorker,
27 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Orpin did not respond to follow-up questions concerning the fate of the cidery's canning and retail sales operations.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 Jan. 2026
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Other concerning signs include constipation, feeling cold all the time, lightheadedness or fainting, and missing periods in girls.—
Melissa Willets,
Parents,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ail. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
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