1
as in fragile
chronically or repeatedly suffering from poor health
when his ailing wife had to go to a nursing home, he visited her every day
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sick
temporarily suffering from a disorder of the body
he was ailing from some sort of infection in his eye that made it look all red and puffy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in bothering
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
parents who were at a loss to explain what was ailing their normally vivacious daughter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of ailing
Reuters, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2025
In July, Evers signed into law the 2025-2027 budget, which provided $15 million to start the planning process to close the ailing Green Bay prison and update the Waupun prison.
—Laura Schulte, jsonline.com, 24 Aug. 2025
Lynsey Eidell, People.com, 12 Sep. 2025
There was a new granddaughter to meet and an ailing and aging father to tend to.
—Suzette Hackney, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ailing
Adjective
France lurched into a political crisis after Prime Minister Francois Bayrou gambled on a confidence vote, with little hope of any quick solution to fix its ailing public finances, whether a new government or a snap parliamentary election comes next.
—Reuters, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2025
In July, Evers signed into law the 2025-2027 budget, which provided $15 million to start the planning process to close the ailing Green Bay prison and update the Waupun prison.
—Laura Schulte, jsonline.com, 24 Aug. 2025
Verb
Despite his ailing health, the Man in Black continued creating music up until the final weeks of his life — and even had plans to travel to California to record after being released from the hospital two days before his death, The Tennessean reported.
—Lynsey Eidell, People.com, 12 Sep. 2025
There was a new granddaughter to meet and an ailing and aging father to tend to.
—Suzette Hackney, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ailing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ailing
Adjective
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If even a crude silent gesture has drawn constitutional protection, fragile egos don’t justify a gag.—
Eric Preven,
Oc Register,
19 Sep. 2025
-
The current reliance on a nearly 30-year-old spacecraft highlights just how fragile our space weather monitoring network has become.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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To be that sad and sick with the most blessings/privilege/opportunity/love around me was quite possibly the most confusing thing ever.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Our health care system focuses on treating sick patients.—
Bryant Stamford,
Louisville Courier Journal,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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There's other important bathroom etiquette travelers should keep in mind to avoid bothering flight attendants.—
Katie Nadworny,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Lead with Gratitude and Grace Calling out someone for bothering you is always tricky.—
Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott,
Southern Living,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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This involves having a poorly or non-functioning colon and is not usually reversible.—
Dr. John De Jong,
Boston Herald,
17 Aug. 2025
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The researchers and their partners are also working to track local residents’ health and to measure how well or poorly interventions like masks and household air filters protected them.—
Maggie Astor,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Issues concerning the family, finances and health are all immediate needs that can be overwhelming to both the inmate and their family members.—
Walter Pavlo,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
-
These matters concerning candidate quality are nothing new.—
Kimberly Ross,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Results may not apply directly to frailer elderly adults or people with knee conditions.—
Paul McClure
September 11,
New Atlas,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Talking to Bill Nighy about his star turn as a frail and at times broken novelist in & Sons is rather hampered by the British actor not having seen director Pablo Trapero’s father-and-son drama on a screen of any size ahead of its world premiere on Sunday at the Toronto Film Festival.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
But that’s actually a bad thing for a couple reasons.—
Jeff Fedotin,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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But worse than the poverty was the verbal and physical abuse from his father.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Aaron Glenn has a defensive background, serving as the defensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions from 2021 to 2024, so the Jets' defensive struggles have been alarming so far.—
Aaliyan Mohammed,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
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The tackling was alarming enough that the Broncos were practicing on Monday with live tackles, something that’s not seen too often once the season starts.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
1 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ailing. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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