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

Instead, the defense sought to persuade the jury that the 36-year-old former labor and delivery nurse was not criminally responsible because of mental disease, a rare condition called postpartum psychosis.

— MICHAEL CASEY, Arkansas Online, 30 Sep. 2026
The growing range of treatment options marks a shift from seeking a cure to focusing on avoiding the disease entirely.

— Theara Coleman, TheWeek, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of disease

Verb

In Levittown, the cost-cutting builders at first hadn’t even bothered with tanks and had installed cesspools instead—three decades later, the suburb’s sewer system was still under construction.

— Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
Professionally, Bernat didn’t bother to answer a Florida Department of Health administrative complaint detailing the charges in the Alzheimer patient’s case.

— David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of bother

Noun

Miller, though, who is dealing with hip and back ailments, was downgraded to not participating Thursday after he was limited at Wednesday drills.

— David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 24 Sep. 2026
In determining whether to reimburse treatment for such ailments, insurers turn to Food and Drug Administration labels and expert guidelines.

— Arthur Allen, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of ailment

Verb

Remac says the rod stays as quiet as a library room, so you won't be alarmed by annoying sounds.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 28 Sep. 2026
His historical record of the Peloponnesian War described how Athens’ rapid rise in power alarmed Sparta and made war between the two city-states inevitable.

— Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 26 Sep. 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 this framework, the cure for the party’s ills can only come from inside the party, not from any external force.

— ANDREW MERTHA, Foreign Affairs, 17 Sep. 2026
Football cannot be expected to answer societal ills, but this is the sort of area in which the club’s foundation does its invaluable outreach work, a place touched by those statistics about deprivation and crime.

— Michael Walker, New York Times, 15 Sep. 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 5 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of ail

noun

verb

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