Synonyms of ail

ail 1 of 2

noun

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

• disease
• ailment
• illness
• ill
• condition
• fever
• sickness
• disorder
• malady
• bug
• infection
• attack
• infirmity
• distemper
• trouble
• plague
• complaint
• complication
• affection
• distemperature
• contagion
• debility
• contagious disease
• feebleness
• unsoundness
• lameness
• bout
• pestilence
• epidemic
• spell
• fit
• sickliness
• malaise
• unwellness
• matter
• weakness
• contagium
• unhealthiness
• decrepitude
• pip
• pest
• frailness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• health
• wellness
• soundness
• fitness
• wholeness
• wholesomeness
• robustness
• shape
• heartiness
• healthiness
• fettle

ail

2 of 2

verb

ˈāl 

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

• bother
• alarm
• disturb
• concern
• worry
• distract
• anger
• plague
• distress
• agitate
• unsettle
• annoy
• haunt
• upset
• discomfort
• discompose
• dismay
• perturb
• disquiet
• exercise
• irritate
• distemper
• derail
• unhinge
• undo
• freak (out)
• confuse
• embarrass
• rattle
• flurry
• weird out
• exasperate
• irk
• aggravate
• fuss
• bug
• hagride
• vex
• frazzle
• rile
• put off
• harass
• chafe
• put out
• pester
• discourage
• fret
• grate
• harry
• bedevil
• pique
• nettle
• discountenance
• gall
• mortify
• discomfit
• confound
• chivy
• shake up
• disconcert
• abash
• fluster
• daunt
• dispirit
• get
• jar
• faze
• dishearten
• peeve
• unnerve
• demoralize
• nonplus

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• settle
• soothe
• compose
• calm
• quiet
• alleviate
• allay
• assuage
• tranquilize
• conciliate
• appease
• placate
• propitiate
• pacify
• mollify

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of 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

Interspersed throughout the myriad activations of Monterey Car Week is the most important facet for the collector community, and that’s the array of auctions that serve as either an optimistic barometer reading or an ailing canary in the coal mine. — Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 19 Aug. 2026

While the bulk of the research centers on macroeconomic issues and the constriction in the major studio space, the study also provides a sobering look at what ails the indie film sector. — Brent Lang, IndieWire, 19 Aug. 2026