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
Anjali Chaudhry, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
Comment To get a sense of what ails this season of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, watch the eighth episode, where the Housewives find themselves in Nashville to celebrate Porsha Williams’s birthday.
—Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 12 May 2025
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
With topics as varied as curing what ails us to exploring the origins of hums speech, leaders will find curiosity stimulated and their minds filled fresh ideas and new perspectives.
—Anjali Chaudhry, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
Comment To get a sense of what ails this season of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, watch the eighth episode, where the Housewives find themselves in Nashville to celebrate Porsha Williams’s birthday.
—Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ail
Noun
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Fusarium head blight, or FHB, is a devastating disease for staple crops like wheat, barley, maize and rice.—
Rebekah Riess,
CNN Money,
4 June 2025
-
By eliminating the need to recruit separate control groups, ECAs can allow studies to progress more quickly, bringing innovative treatments to patients faster, especially in diseases with no existing options.—
Sujay Jadhav,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2025
Verb
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Whatever discomfort the 38-year-old was feeling didn’t appear to bother him thereafter.—
David Close,
CNN Money,
6 June 2025
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In prior birthday events, perhaps a couple arrived early and had a cocktail, but never the rest of the party together, so this hadn’t bothered me before.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
6 June 2025
Noun
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The division is responsible for screening and reviewing medical exams to determine whether there is evidence that coal miners have developed a respiratory ailment, commonly known as black lung disease.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 May 2025
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There is a mounting pile of respected research on plenty of ailments.—
Lindsey Bartlett,
Rolling Stone,
27 May 2025
Verb
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Her red Chevy Avalanche was found abandoned with windows rolled down -- a detail that immediately alarmed her family.—
Doc Louallen,
ABC News,
6 June 2025
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Trump’s sudden rebuke has alarmed some conservative court-watchers, who warn the president’s new approach could fracture a judicial pipeline built over decades.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
4 June 2025
Noun
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Wear masks: All of these respiratory illnesses can be spread through airborne viruses or bacteria particles.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
3 June 2025
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Absence of treatment is not absence of illness, of course, but given how much time Gauguin spent in hospitals, that such a familiar disease would have been missed seems unlikely.—
Susan Tallman,
The Atlantic,
30 May 2025
Verb
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Create Do-Not-Disturb Prompts To Discourage Interruptions Experiment with reducing your availability to interruptions by following specific practices that signal to others you shouldn’t be disturbed.—
Caroline Ceniza-Levine,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2025
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Perhaps your time off request isn’t approved, or your vacation plans have been disturbed by your colleagues.—
Liz Simmons,
StyleCaster,
27 May 2025
Noun
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But the strikes of 2023 that delayed releases slated for 2024 were never the only ills plaguing the entertainment sector.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
3 June 2025
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For his part, the Briton suggested winning in Monaco was not a cure to all ills.—
Dan Cancian,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
Verb
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The incident was reported Friday at 9:17 a.m., and the last update concerning this incident was provided on Friday at 9:20 a.m.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
8 June 2025
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Reports of unrest outside the city, including in Paramount, are deeply concerning.—
Jack Moore,
ABC News,
8 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ail. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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