ail 1 of 2

noun

Definition of ailnext
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

ail

2 of 2

verb

ˈāl How to pronounce ail (audio)
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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
The uptick of inflation has coincided with government proposals meant to revive the ailing economy. — Max Zahn, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026 Ahead of July 4th, Albano was running near-constant check-ins with staff, while also managing an ailing dog and meeting with the fire marshal, to get cleared for incoming storage pods. — Paige Williams, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ail
  1. disease
  2. bother
  3. ailment
  4. alarm
  5. illness
  6. disturb
  7. ill
  8. concern
Noun
  • Those enrolled have experienced CLBP due to degenerative disc disease (DDD) for less than five years.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Prices of the precious commodity have swung dramatically from one season to the next, particularly as issues such as climate change, water scarcity and pest and disease pressures persist.
    — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of disease
Verb
  • Contreras rarely takes days off but asked for a day off Sunday with his leg bothering him.
    — Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Chapman won’t play another game for the Giants this year after undergoing core muscle surgery earlier this week, but the 33-year-old has finally addressed an ailment that’s bothered him for effectively the whole season.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of bother
Noun
  • In this high silk topper The Big Bambino was on top of the world with no premonition that a serious throat ailment would lead to his death in a few short years.
    — AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Chapman won’t play another game for the Giants this year after undergoing core muscle surgery earlier this week, but the 33-year-old has finally addressed an ailment that’s bothered him for effectively the whole season.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of ailment
Verb
  • Garcia said that before the attack, residents were already alarmed by a May news release from the city manager of neighboring Rio Vista, who warned that the project and potential annexation could open the door to a giant data center being built.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Terrified Jewish voters—alarmed by progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed’s anti-Zionist rhetoric—are fleeing to Republican Mike Rogers for self-preservation.
    — Staff, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of alarm
Noun
  • Several iterations of the idea have since taken shape, expanding to refugees, students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, seniors with chronic illness.
    — Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026
  • The sources haven’t been identified for nine of the ongoing foodborne illness outbreaks and two of the ongoing Salmonella outbreaks.
    — Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of illness
Verb
  • Sulfur-rich gases reaching the upper atmosphere could reflect sunlight and temporarily cool the climate, disturbing rainfall and reducing harvests worldwide.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Some people think putting more and more effects is the best way to express ourselves for the audience, and some filmmakers just want to keep the balance without disturbing the original movie.
    — Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of disturb
Noun
  • Alex Pantling/Getty Images What is clear is that no one thinks the changes enacted in either the Championship or League One are a resolution to the EFL’s marked financial ills.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Blaming billionaire wealth-hoarding for America’s ills would poll very well among the nation’s anthropology departments.
    — Gilad Edelman, The Atlantic, 19 July 2026
Definition of ill
Verb
  • By identifying exactly what the frustration concerns before reacting, leaders are more likely to channel emotion toward fixing broken systems instead of attacking individuals.
    — Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026
  • At least as far as productivity is concerned, there is some merit to this thinking.
    — Kenneth S. Rogoff, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of concern

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ailed
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Cite this Entry

“Ail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ail. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of ail for Spanish Speakers

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