AILING Synonyms: 188 Similar and Opposite Words

ailing 1 of 2

adjective

ˈā-liŋ

Definition of ailing

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

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

ailing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of ail

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

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.

Recent Examples of ailing

Adjective

In a further blow, Parini’s plans go right off the rails when Alistair has some bad news from London and leaves him in charge of the elderly, ailing Borges, then 72. — Damon Wise, Deadline, 16 Aug. 2026 Heel Moxley pounced on an ailing Nick Jackson and hit a piledriver on the outside. — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026

Verb

Interspersed throughout the myriad activations of Monterey Car Week is the most important facet for the collector community, and that’s the array of auctions that serve as either an optimistic barometer reading or an ailing canary in the coal mine. — Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 19 Aug. 2026 Sandy, apparently blind to the interpersonal nuances ailing the deck team, keeps Aesha on deck, Kayley as acting chief stew, and makes Joe acting bosun for the charter. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 18 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ailing

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ailing

Adjective

When their ailing mother comes to live with them, old resentments resurface, forcing both women to confront grief, faith, ambition, and the fragile bonds that hold a family together.

— Zac Ntim, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2026
The characters aren’t simply vulnerable—they’re contradictory and fragile.

— Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of fragile

Adjective

Some recalls, Eskin said, are made after companies’ routine testing catches a pathogen before anyone gets sick, while others involve outbreaks that are already underway and vary widely in size and severity.

— Dian Zhang, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
Sanchez also ordered a meal from Taco Bell, but didn’t get sick.

— Rebecca Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of sick

Adjective

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
This involves having a poorly or non-functioning colon and is not usually reversible.

— Dr. John De Jong, Boston Herald, 17 Aug. 2025

Definition of poorly

Verb

One of the fears concerning AI in fiction filmmaking is that the medium of cinema could lose the value of the empathic connection people have with other humans.

— Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026
More concerning memory problems may involve difficulty retaining new information in the first place, like repeatedly asking a question without remembering the answer.

— Danielle Zickl, HEALTH, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of concerning

Adjective

In the last decade, Jackson has paid a Miami company more than $35 million to discharge mostly frail patients with nowhere to go into assisted living beds.

— Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026
Up there, the wind is your neighbor, whistling through the walls and frail window panes.

— Megan Rose Murray, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of frail

Adjective

Poor Anton has been left out of the drama all day, an effort by Billie and Samir to prevent an already bad futzing from escalating to something severe, and that’s never where Anton likes to be.

— Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
Although rarely seen, its reemergence earlier this summer is a signal of how bad the region’s ongoing drought has gotten, as well as a warning for the difficult months ahead.

— Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of bad

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ailed

ailing

ailment

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“Ailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ailing. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of ailing

adjective

verb

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