ailing

adjective

ail·​ing ˈā-liŋ How to pronounce ailing (audio)
: having or suffering from an illness or injury
providing care for his ailing mother
trying to rest her ailing knee/back
a person in ailing health
often used figuratively
an ailing company
an ailing economy

Examples of ailing in a Sentence

when his ailing wife had to go to a nursing home, he visited her every day he was ailing from some sort of infection in his eye that made it look all red and puffy
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Despite trading away Kyle Kuzma and Jonas Valanciunas earlier in the day, the ailing Washington Wizards were the clear aggressors from the opening tap and systematically dismantled Brooklyn 119-102 The Wizards opened the game on a 10-2 run and built a 21-9 lead with 5:47 left in the first quarter. C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 6 Feb. 2025 This low likelihood of re-offense underscores a fundamental reality: Incarcerating aging and ailing individuals long past their active years of offending offers no meaningful public safety benefit. Jasmine L. Tyler, Baltimore Sun, 6 Feb. 2025 Zverev defeated the ailing Novak Djokovic after just one set, when the 10-time champ elected to retire from the match. Chris Branch, The Athletic, 24 Jan. 2025 At the end of the 1972-73 season an ailing Law suffered the undeserved indignity of learning from a television report that he had been allowed to leave Old Trafford on a free transfer. Sam Pilger, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for ailing 

Word History

Etymology

from present participle of ail entry 1

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ailing was in 1598

Dictionary Entries Near ailing

Cite this Entry

“Ailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ailing. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.

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