ailing
Americanadjective
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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.
To stave off creditors, some firms are using cash from new funds to invest in ailing companies as a sweetener to extend due dates on loans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
Germany is borrowing and spending more to try to revive its ailing economy after years of slow growth.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
Turturro admires Harry’s old-school pride in his craft, but the character’s devotion to his ailing wife struck a deeper chord.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
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
Kennedy kept the water heated to ninety degrees to soothe his ailing back.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
