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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ailing
Dianna Russini, The Athletic, 21 Feb. 2025
Running the ad would have risked placing the paper — whose ailing finances were exacerbated in October when 250,000 Post readers canceled their subscriptions following Bezos’ decision to block the paper’s endorsement for Kamala Harris — directly in the administration’s crosshairs.
—Liam Reilly, CNN, 17 Feb. 2025
Brian Moylan, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2024
Earlier in the year, James missed two games by taking a week away from the team to heal his ailing left foot and reset mentally.
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 30 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for ailing
Adjective
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
Running the ad would have risked placing the paper — whose ailing finances were exacerbated in October when 250,000 Post readers canceled their subscriptions following Bezos’ decision to block the paper’s endorsement for Kamala Harris — directly in the administration’s crosshairs.
—Liam Reilly, CNN, 17 Feb. 2025
Verb
Avery Russell Deckhand, Below Deck S8 The first crew member to leave after only one day and the only one to do so voluntarily, Avery returned home before the season even started to be with his ailing grandmother.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2024
Earlier in the year, James missed two games by taking a week away from the team to heal his ailing left foot and reset mentally.
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 30 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for ailing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ailing
Adjective
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Efficiency at what cost? Read: The rise of techno-authoritarianism Careless People illustrates how this ideological vacuum is filled by its leaders’ fleeting whims and governed by their fragile egos.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
22 Mar. 2025
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What unfolds is a two-person dialogue on the subject of fragile masculinity.—
Doreen St. Félix,
The New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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This has not been a good week for United, which was also accused of trying to shut off the ventilator of a sick one-year-old child.—
Michael Goldstein,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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By many accounts, Planned Parenthood is an incurably sick beast whose time is nearing its end.—
Erik Baptist,
National Review,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
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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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His rapping has a frail, slithering quality; his vocal tone morphs between cute squeakiness and ragged rottweiler growls.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
21 Mar. 2025
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In our grandparents’ day, families weren’t dispersed across the country, and family members often took care of their frail relatives.—
Steve Vernon,
Forbes,
18 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The most common reason a cruise ship skips a port is bad weather.—
David Nikel,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
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Meanwhile, the Heat has been among the NBA’s worst teams in the league since Butler’s departure.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The color-grading choice was particularly popular in movies at the turn of the millennium, a sickly tint that conveyed metropolitan gothic sensibilities and disaffection while amping up the physical sallowness of already-pallid leads.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
4 Mar. 2025
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What danced across your palate in the first mouthful becomes a sickly chore by the end of the meal.—
Michael Irving,
New Atlas,
3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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When Arakawa became ill, there was no backup system—no one to step in for her or her husband.—
Joseph Coughlin,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
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On Monday night, the actor fell ill during the third quarter of a basketball game between the New York Knicks and the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden.—
Lisa Respers France,
CNN,
18 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ailing. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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