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
Relevance
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
Max Zahn, ABC News, 9 Jan. 2026
Supreme Leader Khamenei is 86 and ailing.
—Bobby Ghosh, Time, 9 Jan. 2026
Guy Lodge, Variety, 5 Feb. 2026
Utilities are hiking their rates to pay for repairing and replacing ailing infrastructure, costs linked to extreme weather events, volatile fuel prices and the increase in electricity demand, driven largely by data centers.
—Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ailing
Adjective
The Fed has cut interest rates in an effort to revive an ailing labor market.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 9 Jan. 2026
Supreme Leader Khamenei is 86 and ailing.
—Bobby Ghosh, Time, 9 Jan. 2026
Verb
Charlie, home to care for his ailing father after having emigrated to the States some years before, is likewise underdeveloped beyond that circumstantial detail.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 5 Feb. 2026
Utilities are hiking their rates to pay for repairing and replacing ailing infrastructure, costs linked to extreme weather events, volatile fuel prices and the increase in electricity demand, driven largely by data centers.
—Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ailing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ailing
Adjective
-
Savannah Guthrie opened the family’s plea by thanking supporters for their prayers before describing her mother as the heart of their family and making a direct appeal for contact, stressing Nancy Guthrie’s fragile health and urgent need for medication.—
Adam Sabes , Michael Ruiz , Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Biocomputing remains highly experimental, fragile, and difficult to scale.—
Matthew S Williams,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
And the American health care system isn't set up to help people get through it, Mauldin outlines in the book, by way of inaccessible health care, lack of caregiver supports, expensive treatments and an overall de-valuing of sick people and those with disabilities.—
Madeline Mitchell,
USA Today,
9 Feb. 2026
-
In January 2025, a hospital in West Texas began reporting that children were coming in sick with measles.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
One Florida resident reportedly hired a local mover without bothering to determine if the company was licensed, only to run into a boatload of trouble.—
Lew Sichelman,
Miami Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
-
If your knee is bothering you, for instance, the vibration might distract your brain enough for the pain to temporarily retreat.—
Jennifer Heimlich,
Time,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Garden centers aren't giving a refund for a dying or dead plant but rather a discount on a new purchase.—
Lauren David,
Southern Living,
17 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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This fragmented model creates friction and quietly drains profitability through unbilled hours, margin erosion from poorly staffed projects and elevated turnover when top talent hits operational roadblocks.—
DJ Paoni,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
For however poorly things are going — and the bad tone set by the starters has leaked into some defensive lapses and some pressing at the plate — the Padres got themselves into a really favorable position before this.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Recently, high school students have been exposed to protests concerning women’s health care, medical costs, DOGE slashing government departments and the ruthless actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Feb. 2026
-
The files are not findings of guilt, and some critics have raised concerns about releasing confidential and uncorroborated material concerning those who have not been charged with a crime.—
Ethan Varian,
Mercury News,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Few things shake the confidence of a person like crawling to the top bunk of a quivering bed frame, your feet wrapping uncomfortably along the frail metal rungs of the ladder.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Under a cowboy hat and a long poncho, Weir looked visibly frail on stage.—
Paul Liberatore,
Mercury News,
16 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
In 2006, ahead of the Turin Olympics, Vonn took a bad fall during downhill training and went to the hospital.—
ANDREW DAMPF,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Attending a bad Super Bowl is the Super Bowl of communal experiences.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ailing. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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