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
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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
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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
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Examples of ailing in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Neil Winton, Forbes, 22 Sep. 2024
The injury required season-ending surgery for Bogdanovic, who was also nursing an ailing wrist.
—Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2024
Mia agrees to let Max's ailing dog find solace with her newfound companion, in exchange for Max showing her the hidden gems of Seattle.
—Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 19 Sep. 2024
Gere in the film plays Leonard Fife, an aging and ailing documentary filmmaker sitting down for what will be his final interview in order to reflect on his relationships, regrets, and mortality.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 8 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ailing 
Adjective
The Financial Times Lex column said upmarket German automakers are having a bad time in China where an ailing property market has curbed spending on top-of-the-range vehicles like the Mercedes S-Class and Maybach.
—Neil Winton, Forbes, 22 Sep. 2024
The injury required season-ending surgery for Bogdanovic, who was also nursing an ailing wrist.
—Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2024
Mia agrees to let Max's ailing dog find solace with her newfound companion, in exchange for Max showing her the hidden gems of Seattle.
—Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 19 Sep. 2024
Gere in the film plays Leonard Fife, an aging and ailing documentary filmmaker sitting down for what will be his final interview in order to reflect on his relationships, regrets, and mortality.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 8 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ailing
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ailing.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Thesaurus Entries Near ailing
Cite this Entry
“Ailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ailing. Accessed 11 Oct. 2024.
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