1
as in fragile
chronically or repeatedly suffering from poor health
when his ailing wife had to go to a nursing home, he visited her every day
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sick
temporarily suffering from a disorder of the body
he was ailing from some sort of infection in his eye that made it look all red and puffy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in bothering
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of ailing
Luca Evans, Denver Post, 21 May 2025
Vance briefly visited the ailing Francis last month at the Vatican, just hours before his death.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 8 May 2025
Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 8 Apr. 2025
Advocates worry the lack of transparency will allow bad actors to continue running care facilities and putting elderly, disabled and ailing residents at risk.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ailing
Adjective
Injury updates: In a move quickly buried under a pile of managerial chaos, the Rockies transferred the ailing Kris Bryant to the 60-day IL May 11 amid an ongoing back issue.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 21 May 2025
Vance briefly visited the ailing Francis last month at the Vatican, just hours before his death.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 8 May 2025
Verb
Swank did step away from acting for three years at age 24 to care for her ailing father.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 8 Apr. 2025
Advocates worry the lack of transparency will allow bad actors to continue running care facilities and putting elderly, disabled and ailing residents at risk.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ailing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ailing
Adjective
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However, removing them can undermine employee engagement, especially in hybrid or rapidly changing environments with fragile personal connections.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
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As the conflict between Israel and Iran rests on a fragile ceasefire, Rajebi and other Iranian Americans told USA TODAY about dismay at American involvement and fear for loved ones still in Iran, saying a resurgence in violence could ripple around the world.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
27 June 2025
Adjective
-
Alaska, Michigan, and Maine are among the latest states with paid sick or family leave laws on the books.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
1 July 2025
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Desperate to save his sick daughter, working-class Ben Richards (Glen Powell) is convinced by the show’s charming but ruthless producer, Dan Killian (Josh Brolin), to enter the game as a last resort.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
1 July 2025
Verb
-
Rodin Cars The big idea behind Rodin is to build cars without bothering about vehicle regulations – in stark contrast to F1 cars, which are subject to several rules around how they're put together.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
2 Jan. 2025
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The city and state have also been ramping up efforts to engage troubled vagrants sleeping and sometimes bothering straphangers, connecting them with services and shelter and potentially involuntary treatment.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
27 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The researchers and their partners are also working to track local residents’ health and to measure how well or poorly interventions like masks and household air filters protected them.—
Maggie Astor,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
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Both the United States and the United Nations have stepped back from leadership roles, a reflection of how poorly interventions in Haiti have gone and also the wide range of issues in other parts of the world at the moment.—
Adam Taylor,
Washington Post,
7 Mar. 2024
Adjective
-
First, most previous studies looked at the general older population, including healthy or mildly ill people, whereas this study focused on frail, vulnerable individuals receiving home care who might be more functionally limited but also better connected to formal care systems.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
24 June 2025
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Considering Dolton’s frail financial condition, House was asked by a reporter if delving into the real estate is a wise move.—
Mike Nolan,
Chicago Tribune,
20 May 2025
Adjective
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After several months of strong economic news but incredibly weak consumer sentiment, America is starting to see those trends reverse: The vibes are on the rebound, but evidence is mounting that the economy is getting worse.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
28 June 2025
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Overall, the recent western drought was at its worst in late 2021, when nearly 94% of the West was in drought, before easing in 2023-24.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
28 June 2025
Adjective
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Beneath several sickly banana trees sat a man in tired corduroy pants and worn blue Skechers.—
Pete McKenzie,
Harpers Magazine,
18 June 2025
-
As a sickly boy raised by two women, young Darin was smothered with affection.—
Jordan Runtagh,
People.com,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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How to Stay Protected Against COVID Vaccination is still the best way to protect yourself against getting seriously ill from COVID.—
Claire Bugos,
Verywell Health,
25 June 2025
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The team collected fecal samples from 196 critically ill patients admitted to intensive care for non-COVID respiratory failure or shock.—
Rosie McCall,
Discover Magazine,
23 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ailing. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
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