ailing
Americanadjective
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sickly; unwell.
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unsound or troubled.
a financially ailing corporation.
adjective
Etymology
Origin of ailing
Explanation
Someone who's ailing is sick. You might visit your ailing grandmother in the hospital. You can use the adjective ailing to describe someone who's very ill, or use it figuratively, to talk about "our ailing economy," or "the ailing school system." The next time you call in sick to work, you might say, "I can't come in today — I'm afraid I'm ailing." Ailing comes from the verb ail, "trouble or afflict," from the Old English eglan, "to trouble, plague, or pain."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ailing Japanese who could not find relief from Japanese doctors visited physicians on Dejima.
From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022
Known as Gu Ailing, her face seems to be everywhere.
From New York Times • Feb. 14, 2022
"Gu Ailing is a genius young woman right?" was one trending topic, referencing her Chinese name.
From Fox News • Feb. 8, 2022
At last count, Gu — whose Chinese name is Gu Ailing — had 1.34 million followers on the Chinese social media platform Weibo.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 4, 2022
The Wall of Ailing Corn was still there, though I saw no corn, ailing or otherwise, along that wall now.
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
