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.
On the other hand, change may be necessary if you’re alone, ailing or both.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 12, 2026
When their flight was rerouted to Santo Domingo, one of the members visited his ailing father, who died a day later.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Relatedly, it has seemed Pinterest always has an area of advertiser demand that’s ailing just enough to curb growth.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
However, the aquatic mammal was already considered ailing and close to death when a final, last-ditch attempt was made earlier in May.
From BBC ● May 31, 2026
He was hard to take care of when he was ailing.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
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.
