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
Reuters, CNN Money, 4 May 2025
The 6-6, 245-pound right-hander got a two-year, $38.5 million pact that ended his free agency in January 2024 but underwent an internal brace procedure on his ailing elbow before spring training ended.
—Dan Schlossberg, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 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
Putin in power Putin, a former KGB lieutenant colonel who was handed the presidency on the last day of 1999 by an ailing Boris Yeltsin, is the longest serving Kremlin leader since Josef Stalin, who ruled for 29 years until his death in 1953.
—Reuters, CNN Money, 4 May 2025
The 6-6, 245-pound right-hander got a two-year, $38.5 million pact that ended his free agency in January 2024 but underwent an internal brace procedure on his ailing elbow before spring training ended.
—Dan Schlossberg, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 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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For Testers The focus shifts from maintaining fragile scripts tied to UI elements to ensuring robust, conceptual test coverage.—
Asad Khan,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2025
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As neo-colonial dynamics among the expatriate community unravel, this fragile bond becomes his only refuge from an impending collapse into solitude or barbarism.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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Each year, about 48 million people in the U.S. get sick with foodborne illnesses, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.—
Stephanie Armour,
Miami Herald,
29 May 2025
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The best defense remains up-to-date vaccination, testing when symptomatic, masking in crowded indoor spaces, and staying home when sick.—
Rachael O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 May 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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The researchers and their partners are also working to track local residents’ health and to measure how well or poorly interventions like masks and household air filters protected them.—
Maggie Astor,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
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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
Adjective
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There are numerous exemptions, such as pregnant women, caregivers, the medically frail, and others.—
Anthony Digiorgio,
Oc Register,
20 May 2025
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The book describes an alarmed crowd at the fundraiser ‒ which featured Biden, former President Barack Obama and talk show host Jimmy Kimmel on stage ‒ over Biden's apparent diminishment, frail presentation and meandering answers to mostly soft-ball questions from Kimmel.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
15 May 2025
Adjective
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But, are seed oils worse than saturated animal fats?—
Marianne Krasny,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
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If sinister twists or Roy-style bad dads do it for you, hang on past the hour mark.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
23 May 2025
Adjective
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Lambrusco became synonymous with that sickly tipple—which bore no resemblance to the refreshingly dry and crisp Lambrusco guzzled by Italians.—
Simon Willis,
Travel + Leisure,
10 May 2025
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In This Article How To Identify Spider Mites Understanding Spider Mites How To Get Rid Of Spider Mites If your once-vigorous plant is starting to look sickly, spider mites may be the culprits.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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George had lived there for eight years, while Cookie, a chronically ill stray, appeared around 2020.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 May 2025
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However, some people at standard risk of COVID-19 will get seriously ill from the infection, and some will die from it.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ailing. Accessed 1 Jun. 2025.
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