ailing

adjective

ail·​ing ˈā-liŋ 

: having or suffering from an illness or injury

providing care for his ailing mother

trying to rest her ailing knee/back

a person in ailing health

—often used figuratively

an ailing company

an ailing economy

Synonyms

• invalid
• sickly
• weakly

Examples of ailing in a Sentence

when his ailing wife had to go to a nursing home, he visited her every day

he was ailing from some sort of infection in his eye that made it look all red and puffy

Recent Examples on the Web

Pic directed by Christopher Andrews, who is making his feature directing debut, follows Michael (Abbott) who is the last son of a farming family, and lives an isolated existence with his ailing, cantankerous father Ray. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 20 Nov. 2024

Mia agrees to let Max's ailing dog find solace with her newfound companion, in exchange for Max showing her the hidden gems of Seattle. —Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 24 Oct. 2024

Widespread concern The ailing property sector is widely believed to lie at the root of China’s numerous economic woes. —Juliana Liu, CNN, 17 Oct. 2024

When an ailing Cohn finally confronts Trump for avoiding him, the encounter feels perfunctory, a mere interruption of an extended clip show. —Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 11 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

from present participle of ail entry 1

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined above