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
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Recent Examples of ailing
Miami Herald, 10 July 2025
The $8 billion deal will put another family at the helm of the ailing Paramount Pictures and streaming service Paramount+; only in this case, the dynasty is led by tech giant and Oracle founder Larry Ellison.
—Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 9 July 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
Unfortunately, no, and that option might actually not be so good — at least for the ailing global climate.
—Miami Herald, 10 July 2025
The $8 billion deal will put another family at the helm of the ailing Paramount Pictures and streaming service Paramount+; only in this case, the dynasty is led by tech giant and Oracle founder Larry Ellison.
—Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 9 July 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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At the same time, Jota’s death has brought certain things into sharp context, about how fragile life — and within that, something like a football career — can be.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
14 Aug. 2025
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These species play a crucial role in maintaining balance within the fragile ecosystem.—
Lauren Liebhaber,
Miami Herald,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Prater has a sick fascination with serial killers, collecting their trophies and even inviting the most notorious of them to gatherings at his mansion.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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Today’s daily brief features the Texas governor ordering the arrest and expulsion of fleeing lawmakers, a video on the NYT weaponizing a sick toddler amid the starvation crisis in Gaza, and Israel is considering a plan to expand the war in Gaza.—
Armstrong Williams,
Baltimore Sun,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
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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
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In the nineteenth century, for instance, libraries offered some women the freedom to explore, learn, and work, challenging social norms that styled (some) women as too frail to earn a living outside the home.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
14 Aug. 2025
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Severe infections are particularly dangerous for young children, frail or elderly people, and those with weakened immune systems.—
Matthew Robinson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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This is all made much, much worse by the fact that Claire’s parents end up time-travelling . . .—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
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Not bad for a company built on the back of a $40 plastic-cased watch!—
Oren Hartov,
Robb Report,
15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Séamus McLean Ross costars on Blood of My Blood as a young Colum MacKenzie, the sickly brother of Ellen and Dougal, who goes on to become laird of the clan.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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In inspecting the property, the officers found a sickly Honey infested with lice.—
Caelyn Pender,
Mercury News,
8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Jackson’s main Miami campus also houses the largest Level 4 NICU in Miami-Dade, which provides the highest level of care for premature and critically ill newborns.—
Michelle Marchante,
Miami Herald,
14 Aug. 2025
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About 1 in 5 people with this infection die, sometimes within a day or two of becoming ill.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
14 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ailing. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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