AIL Synonyms: 140 Similar and Opposite Words

ail 1 of 2

noun

Definition of ail

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

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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

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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 pics included a sweet snap of Harry kissing Lili, setting up a game of archery balloons with Archie and driving his kids on an all-terrain vehicle while being ailed by the family’s Labrador retriever, Pula. — Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2026 His descriptions of being bullied in high school for his sexuality resemble plotlines from Very Special Episodes of TV, and his relationship with his ailing father is similarly generic. — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ail

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ail

Noun

Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia are difficult to study, in part because diagnosing the disease early in people is challenging.

— Julie Moreno, The Conversation, 6 Oct. 2026
Younger demographics are being diagnosed with increasing cases of colon cancer, and people of color face disproportionately higher mortality rates from the disease.

— Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of disease

Noun

Another handful of Panthers injuries to monitor The Panthers also have a few ailments to keep track of during the Week 5 bye.

— Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 5 Oct. 2026
This puzzle is stuffed with nuance, pleasing crosses and a lot of simply terrific, ridiculously evocative stuff — for example, a jarring assortment of lovely trivia intersecting with some hideous ailments at more than one juncture.

— Caitlin Lovinger, New York Times, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of ailment

Verb

Investors have grown increasingly alarmed over the eurozone’s debt burden, moribund economic growth, and persistent inflation.

— Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Ayesha Bell Hardaway, a former prosecutor who is a professor of law at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, is alarmed by the dramatic variation across the country.

— Tim Stelloh, NBC news, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of alarm

Noun

Authorities have said Ervebo could offer some protection against Bundibugyo, but whether the vaccine can actually prevent illness is still being studied.

— ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
Blanchard has said her mother abused her for years and forced her to fake serious illnesses.

— Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of illness

Verb

Baldwin alleged that decision was just one part of a pattern of disturbing prosecutorial abuses, including presenting false information to the grand jury, failing to disclose two firearms reports, and filing an unlawful gun enhancement.

— Gene Maddaus, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026
But the death of Khamenei eliminated the regime’s paramount figure, disturbing the existing balance, and the war is systematically privileging the parts of the state responsible for survival over everything else.

— Ali Vaez, Foreign Affairs, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of disturb

Noun

In the story, the duck doesn’t make it, and the now-ill patient didn’t wear any gloves while handling it.

— Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 2 Oct. 2026
The game’s maker, Paolo Pedercini, has long diagnosed the ills of modern capitalism through countercultural video games like Phone Story (2011), which depicted the exploitative supply chain of a smartphone.

— Lewis Gordon, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of ill

Verb

In turn, an interpretation may report that no concerning variant was found without making clear that the relevant gene was not fully examined.

— Euan Ashley, STAT, 1 Oct. 2026
Emirati prosecutors opened an investigation after a co-pilot stabbed his captain mid-flight, asserting jurisdiction over a crime that also concerns Saudi Arabia and Israel.

— Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of concern

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“Ail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ail. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of ail

noun

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