Showing results for "ailing"

• present participle of ail.

ailing

American  

[ay-ling] / ˈeɪ lɪŋ /

adjective

1. sickly; unwell.

2. unsound or troubled.

   a financially ailing corporation.

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ailing British  

/ ˈeɪlɪŋ /

adjective

1. unwell or unsuccessful

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Etymology

Origin of ailing

First recorded in 1590–1600; ail + -ing ²

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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

See Examples For:

ailing

Puerto has written about how she got pregnant in 2022 and had no clear way to leave the state for an abortion, especially since she was helping to take care of her ailing mother.

From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026

In his closing arguments, prosecutor Patricio Ferrai said that defendants' "chaotic organization" left the ailing player "in a helpless situation, abandoning him to his fate."

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

Because of an ailing right knee, the Dodgers don’t really know what you might see out of Freddie Freeman this postseason.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

A rotting carpet of familiar fan-shaped leaves soon surrounded the tree, a sight so alarming Jung and her neighbours formed a crew of amateur detectives to solve the mystery: what was ailing their hardy ginkgo?

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Govan was then ailing and not going to the quarry, and he was given the task of counting out eight squares of toilet paper for each prisoner per day.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

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Related Words

• diseased
• feeble
• ill
• sickly
• weak

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