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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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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
Gene Maddaus, Variety, 4 May 2026
Three people died, one passenger was in intensive care in South Africa, and two ailing crew members remained on board and were in need of urgent medical care, the cruise line Oceanwide Expeditions said.
—Evan Bush, NBC news, 4 May 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 week the book was published, WGA members were voting to ratify a new contract that includes a bailout of the union’s ailing health fund and significant increases in health insurance costs.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 4 May 2026
Three people died, one passenger was in intensive care in South Africa, and two ailing crew members remained on board and were in need of urgent medical care, the cruise line Oceanwide Expeditions said.
—Evan Bush, NBC news, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for ail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ail
Noun
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Over time, however, the disease has spread across the East Coast and Midwest, with diagnoses reaching 35 states.—
Drew Pittock,
USA Today,
21 May 2026
-
In later life, this formative programming can increase the risk of not only mental illnesses like depression, but physical diseases too, such as cancer and obesity.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
Now the dog is back to bothering her brother and showing off her sassy personality.—
Kelli Bender,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
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This is a nakedly partisan power grab, and state officials haven’t really bothered to deny it.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 May 2026
Noun
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Indicators can be so subtle and nonspecific that doctors tend to misattribute them to other, more common, ailments—which can delay diagnosis, sometimes for years.—
Nami Mun,
The Atlantic,
16 May 2026
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The rotation has been marvelous from the get-go despite its ailments.—
Gabriel Burns,
AJC.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
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That threat alone should alarm anyone who pays bills, runs a business, or has seen government expand as basic services deteriorate.—
Matt Klink,
Daily News,
14 May 2026
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Steadman Stahl, the president of the South Florida Police Benevolent Association, told CBS News Miami that he is alarmed by this case and hopes someone can help find the suspect.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
13 May 2026
Noun
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Hantavirus is typically spread through contact with infected rodents and can lead to severe respiratory illness, though cases remain rare, according to the WHO.—
Brittany Miller,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
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Bird flu, also known as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), is caused by a virus that can result in serious illness and death in birds and mammals.—
Christopher Edwards,
PEOPLE,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Instead of relying on a traditional metal antenna to capture a signal, the system uses lasers to monitor how incoming radio waves disturb the atoms.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
17 May 2026
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Disrupting the possibility of cheerful solitude is both a stylistic and social shift, disturbing the film’s non-narrative serenity while depicting how dismantling the safety net displaces basic functions onto those least able to bear them.—
Vadim Rizov,
IndieWire,
16 May 2026
Noun
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The expectations, the hope is so high for that prescription to be the salve for their ills.—
Torie Bosch,
STAT,
25 Apr. 2026
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And this one guy at this one firm can't solve all of his industry's ills.—
Sam Yellowhorse Kesler,
NPR,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Endocrinology is the medical specialty concerned with these diseases of the body’s hormones.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
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So far as Pedro Almodóvar is concerned, cinema is everything, and everything is cinema.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ail. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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