ail 1 of 2

noun

Definition of ailnext
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as in disease
an abnormal state that disrupts a plant's or animal's normal bodily functioning half of the staff is out sick with the usual wintertime ails

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

ail

2 of 2

verb

ˈāl How to pronounce ail (audio)
as in to bother
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 ail
Noun
What’s more, the age-old phrase the team’s fans have used to describe Detroit’s recent ails – ‘SOL’ or same old Lions – seems to have been banished for now. — Ben Morse, CNN, 17 Feb. 2024 In the age of generative AI, the theft of huge troves of medical information might be even more dangerous, as our health records wind up in data sets that enable off-the-books innovation in exploiting our ails. — Steven Levy, WIRED, 12 Jan. 2024
Verb
What’s ailing Mookie Betts remains a mystery — his inexplicable stomach illness has left him at a loss for words. — Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2025 For a proper diagnosis, email photos of the ailing plant to a professional, such as the U.S. Botanic Garden. — The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ail
  1. disease
  2. bother
  3. ailment
  4. alarm
  5. illness
  6. disturb
  7. ill
  8. concern
Noun
  • Soggy soil is a breeding ground for destructive pests and diseases.
    — Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Apr. 2025
  • Millions of Americans depend on our nation's research institutions for treatments and cures to the diseases that devastate families every day.
    — Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Apr. 2025
Definition of disease
Verb
  • Chicago Bears - Will Campbell, OL, LSU Will Campbell has fallen a bit due to his shorter arm length, but that likely won't bother Ben Johnson.
    — Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Because Congress never bothered to write a law to establish it.
    — Jay Cost, The Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2025
Definition of bother
Noun
  • In fact, there’s no medical terminology whatsoever for all the ailments your beloved child will introduce into your life.
    — Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2025
  • Being in debt is associated with other ailments, including back pain and obesity.
    — Jeffrey Anvari-Clark, CNN Money, 29 Mar. 2025
Definition of ailment
Verb
  • Inspired by the urgent call from birth justice leaders and alarming CDC statistics showing Black women in the United States are three times more likely to die from pregnancy complications than white women.
    — Melissa Noel, Essence, 9 Apr. 2025
  • Are we supposed to be alarmed that team is falling apart?
    — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2025
Definition of alarm
Noun
  • The Defense Department report noted hundreds of cases of Navy SEALs coming down with acute gastrointestinal illness, crippling diarrhea, from swimming and training in polluted waters just off the coast of Coronado and Imperial Beach.
    — Kimberly Dickson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2025
  • While Kennedy is correct in his statement that some chronic disease and cancer rates have risen, public health experts said -- and data shows -- that the country has made great progress tackling illnesses, including driving down cancer mortality rates, and that life expectancy is on the rise.
    — Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 4 Apr. 2025
Definition of illness
Verb
  • The Indian Ocean is visible through the gardens’ palms, but beach access from the villas is purposefully obstructed—the resort’s way of making sure not to disturb the nearly 300 sea turtle nests lining the shore.
    — Jennifer Flowers, AFAR Media, 3 Apr. 2025
  • The medical team wheels the body out of the cabin under a curtain on a room service trolley so as not to disturb the passengers, then uses the flower shop walk-in freezer as a morgue.
    — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 2 Apr. 2025
Definition of disturb
Noun
  • Untangling the knot of pollution in these places is slow work, in part because federal laws don’t adequately address overlapping environmental ills: The Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act regulate only one form and one source of pollution at a time.
    — Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 7 Mar. 2025
  • Musk’s actions have been cheered by many conservatives, who have long accused the federal government of being a breeding ground of sloth and incompetence, where the nation’s ills originate.
    — Mike Lillis, The Hill, 24 Feb. 2025
Definition of ill
Verb
  • Greene quickly told Kelner to concern herself with the affairs of her own country, specifically a high migrant crisis in the UK.
    — Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2025
  • The rout also hit shares outside the auto industry, with investors concerned that Mr. Trump's trade war may cause U.S. households and businesses to freeze their spending.
    — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 28 Mar. 2025
Definition of concern

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Cite this Entry

“Ail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ail. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.

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