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.
Hoppock said Estelle was detained on a layover, as she traveled home from visiting her ailing father in France.
From Salon • May 14, 2026
On Monday, Sir Keir will attempt to reboot his ailing premiership with a speech which will set out "with clarity" his values and convictions.
From BBC • May 9, 2026
But unless, by some miracle, Luka Doncic’s ailing hamstring is healed by Game 2 on Thursday, the Thunder are just much too much for these Lakers.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026
The ailing budget airline had been hoping to finalize a $500 million lifeline from the government before running out of cash.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026
How hard she worked to help the other patients, no matter how much she herself was ailing.
From "Beyond the Bright Sea" by Lauren Wolk
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.
