- present participle of ail.
ailing
Americanadjective
-
sickly; unwell.
-
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.
Whatever the case, an ailing housing market is not going to get well anytime soon.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 16, 2026
It is the latest bad news from Germany's ailing auto sector, and a major blow for a manufacturer which had so far endured industry upheaval better than its peers Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz.
From Barron's • Jun. 16, 2026
All to communicate that this was a vigorous, healthy man of action, not an ailing drunkard.
From BBC • May 30, 2026
“Primary Trust,” which is receiving its L.A. premiere at the Mark Taper Forum, is a tonic for ailing spirits.
From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026
Or like a mule had et something bad and was ailing and leaking sickness, but it was kind of akin to that.
From "Elijah of Buxton" by Christopher Paul Curtis
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.
