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
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Recent Examples of ailing
John Liu, CNN, 17 Feb. 2025
While with the Rams, Staley helped transform an ailing defense the year prior — 17th in points allowed and 13th total yards allowed per game — into a force worth being recognized and respected, finishing first in both PPG and total yards allowed.
—Dianna Russini, The Athletic, 21 Feb. 2025
Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 8 Apr. 2025
Advocates worry the lack of transparency will allow bad actors to continue running care facilities and putting elderly, disabled and ailing residents at risk.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ailing
Adjective
Instead of a quick recovery after Beijing relaxed its stringent pandemic restrictions in late 2022, the economy has floundered, weighed down by its ailing property sector and low consumer confidence.
—John Liu, CNN, 17 Feb. 2025
While with the Rams, Staley helped transform an ailing defense the year prior — 17th in points allowed and 13th total yards allowed per game — into a force worth being recognized and respected, finishing first in both PPG and total yards allowed.
—Dianna Russini, The Athletic, 21 Feb. 2025
Verb
Swank did step away from acting for three years at age 24 to care for her ailing father.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 8 Apr. 2025
Advocates worry the lack of transparency will allow bad actors to continue running care facilities and putting elderly, disabled and ailing residents at risk.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ailing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ailing
Adjective
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Together these missions have let planetary scientists like me study pristine, fragile carbonaceous material from asteroids.—
Patrick M. Shober,
The Conversation,
14 Apr. 2025
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Israel Defense Forces leveled a village in northern Gaza in the days following the collapse of the fragile ceasefire that went into effect earlier this year.—
Kerem Inal,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Listen to this article Unvaccinated people who visited Denver Health’s emergency department on Sunday should monitor themselves for signs of measles after a sick child received care there.—
Meg Wingerter,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2025
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His mother was still sick, and Mr. Sancho-Persad started working as her caregiver in the morning for $18.75 an hour, paid through Medicaid, while still driving his cab at night.—
Jonah Markowitz,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Rodin Cars The big idea behind Rodin is to build cars without bothering about vehicle regulations – in stark contrast to F1 cars, which are subject to several rules around how they're put together.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
2 Jan. 2025
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The city and state have also been ramping up efforts to engage troubled vagrants sleeping and sometimes bothering straphangers, connecting them with services and shelter and potentially involuntary treatment.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
27 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Both the United States and the United Nations have stepped back from leadership roles, a reflection of how poorly interventions in Haiti have gone and also the wide range of issues in other parts of the world at the moment.—
Adam Taylor,
Washington Post,
7 Mar. 2024
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Story will be a free agent and at this stage why would an accomplished player stay with the poorly run Rockies?—
BostonGlobe.com,
BostonGlobe.com,
27 Mar. 2021
Adjective
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This was the spring of 2020, however, and the impossibilities of international travel, and my dad’s frail health, delayed the journey.—
Eliza Griswold,
New Yorker,
19 Apr. 2025
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The op-ed also followed Biden's frail performance against President Donald Trump in the June 27 presidential debate.—
Brenton Blanchet,
People.com,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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That means more time for Rojas, who has shown more bad than good to begin this season.—
Matt Gelb,
New York Times,
18 Apr. 2025
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Thankfully, the kittens were discovered and rescued right in time before something worse fell on them.—
TJ Macias,
Kansas City Star,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But does that mean that vegans are going against human’s evolutionary history and are bound to be weak, sickly, and even stupid?—
Marianne Krasny,
Forbes.com,
31 Mar. 2025
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The collection of slab-like columns by Derek McLane, lit in sickly, sullen colors by Natasha Katz, could be anywhere.—
Jesse Green,
New York Times,
24 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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This was during a trip made possible by Give Kids The World, an incredible organization that grants critically ill children and their families week-long wish vacations, completely free of charge.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Apr. 2025
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Balmer's mother said her son was mentally ill and had not been taking his medication.—
Caitlin Yilek,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ailing. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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