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

When Ratcliffe agreed on Christmas Eve 2023 to spend £1.25bn to buy a minority stake in Manchester United, his intention was to restore the ailing club to its past glories.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

There, an ailing playwright named M lives with his wife, S—who is an actress—and their precocious daughter, Ruby.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

She could pay for her trip by selling the sugar, and it would give her a chance to see the big city and her perpetually ailing sister.

From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson

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Related Words

• diseased
• feeble
• ill
• sickly
• weak

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