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
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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
James Hansen, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
Gladys is actually an ailing witch who cast a spell in order to drain them of their life force and reinvigorate herself in the process.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
Damon Wise, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2025
Finally, there is Celeste (Kristolyn Lloyd), a Black woman who was forced to leave New York to come home and care for her ailing mother, but still dreams of writing and making a difference.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ailing
Adjective
Valentin Vacherot continued his remarkable run at the Shanghai Masters in uncanny fashion, beating an ailing Novak Djokovic for the biggest and strangest win of his tennis career.
—James Hansen, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
Gladys is actually an ailing witch who cast a spell in order to drain them of their life force and reinvigorate herself in the process.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
Verb
The clearly ailing Todd’s cameo in this year’s Final Destination Bloodlines added a layer of heart to the horror in the franchise reboot, another of 2025’s genre blockbusters.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2025
Finally, there is Celeste (Kristolyn Lloyd), a Black woman who was forced to leave New York to come home and care for her ailing mother, but still dreams of writing and making a difference.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ailing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ailing
Adjective
-
Friday’s launch underscores the fragile security situation on the peninsula and highlights ongoing tensions as North Korea continues to expand its missile capabilities.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Moraes was operating within a young and fragile constitution ratified in 1988 after years of autocratic rule, Brandao said, one that had failed so far to stem pervasive corruption in the country.—
Ron Kampeas,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Raimondo Orsi had already gone back to Argentina to look after his sick mother, and Luis Monti had retired.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Air traffic controllers tasked with managing aircraft movements on runways and in the skies are working without pay during the shutdown, leading to more controllers calling in sick and triggering short staff warnings from the FAA.—
Alysa Guffey,
IndyStar,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
If something’s bothering you, say so.—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Saft, not bothering to remove his sneakers, leaped onto a chair to place an ornate gold mirror over the mantelpiece.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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This involves having a poorly or non-functioning colon and is not usually reversible.—
Dr. John De Jong,
Boston Herald,
17 Aug. 2025
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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
Verb
-
Britney Spears returned to Instagram on Saturday, less than a week after the singer deactivated her account following a series of concerning posts on the social media site.—
Daniel Kreps,
Rolling Stone,
8 Nov. 2025
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The Central Valley Flood Protection Board approved work concerning the lower American River this year.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Hospitals became a backstop for complications and for the frailest cases, while communities worked to strengthen local food sources.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
5 Nov. 2025
-
But in young children, frail or elderly people, and those with weakened immune systems, Listeria can be deadly.—
Jenna Anderson,
Health,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Iran is facing its worst drought in decades, raising fears of evacuations in Tehran while threatening the regime’s stability and nuclear ambitions, according to a leading environmental expert.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Keeping bad things out of my body.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
This isn’t in itself alarming in the moment, though such a narrow market often works against the duration of an advance.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
29 Oct. 2025
-
In a city home to the world’s largest Jewish population outside Israel, Mamdani’s message has struck sharply different chords, galvanizing left-leaning activists while alarming many Jewish voters who view his words as inflammatory.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ailing. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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