AILED Synonyms: 92 Similar and Opposite Words

ailed

verb

past tense of ail

as in bothered

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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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 ailed Whatever ailed this World Cup, the beautiful game was waiting with its healing powers. — Miami Herald, 12 July 2026 Shingles, folliculitis, and COVID-19 also ailed her during this time. — David Oliver, USA Today, 8 June 2026 The tweaks should fix much of what has long ailed it. — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2026 With none of the colonialist baggage associated with the two European superpowers, America was turned to, almost as a last resort, to fix what ailed Iran. — Daniel Thomas Potts, The Conversation, 30 Mar. 2026 The same problems that have ailed the team all year persisted. — Kansas City Star, 21 Dec. 2025 That struggling Cincinnati defense has been the cure-all for anything that has ailed the Steelers’ offense in recent years. — Mike Defabo, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025 Most important, he’s been mentioned by Timberwolves coach Chris Finch as a solution for much of what has ailed Minnesota in the past. — Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 17 Oct. 2025 Few would get out of bed with the flu-like symptoms that ailed Jordan in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals. — Devin Robertson, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ailed

Verb

That bothered Duncan, because direct attack can be dangerous in extreme fire conditions.

— Murphy Woodhouse, NPR, 7 Aug. 2026
Brown was asked Thursday what bothered him about the process.

— Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of bothered

Verb

Arizona officials were alarmed at the cuts federal officials are calling for in the three states in the river’s lower basin, the Arizona Republic has reported.

— Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026
Public health authorities may be especially alarmed by possible tularemia cases because the bacterium that causes the illness, Francisella tularensis, is a Tier 1 bioterrorism threat.

— Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of alarmed

Verb

Along Fence Lines and Retaining Walls Poison ivy grows best in out-of-the-way spaces that aren’t disturbed regularly.

— Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Aug. 2026
Even when the material was strongly disturbed, the electronic order rebuilt itself smoothly across the sample.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of disturbed

Verb

The movie itself disappoints him for its deviations from the Stephen King novel (including this detail may help preempt criticisms over this adaptation), but he’s also distracted by the presence of a strikingly handsome stranger (Homer Gere).

— Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2026
There is zero pressure on this team from a fan base whose attention span, and passion, will soon be distracted by the arrival of another football season.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of distracted

Verb

Stocks rose after the report, as investors who were concerned the Federal Reserve would raise interest rates breathed a sigh of relief.

— Steve Kopack, NBC news, 7 Aug. 2026
By that reading, this week’s slide might have had less to do with investors concerned about AI capital expenditures post-earnings, and more with investors taking profits before the event.

— Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of concerned

Verb

Within four months, the other members of the selectorate, worried that Beria was a threat, arrested him in a committee session and subsequently executed him.

— Julian G. Waller, Foreign Affairs, 7 Aug. 2026
Advertisers stayed away, worried that ads would appear next to antisemitic posts, misinformation, and other objectionable content.

— Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of worried

Verb

Ireland’s museum sector is reportedly plagued by precarious contracts, low pay, unpaid labor, and toxic workplace cultures, driving burnout, excluding talent, and risking the loss of vital institutional knowledge.

— George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Trump has consistently blamed vandals for the botched renovation of the Reflecting Pool, which has been plagued by a peeling liner and resurfacing algae.

— Conor Murray, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of plagued

Verb

The barrage has caused fuel shortages in Russia, eaten into Russian refining capacity, and unsettled the Russian public.

— ABC News, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026
And the race’s constant churn—frontrunners dropping out, Crowley in then out, then back in with endorsements galore—has left the field decidedly unsettled.

— Philip Elliott, Time, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of unsettled

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“Ailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ailed. Accessed 12 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of ailed

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