ailing

UK: /ˈeɪlɪŋ/ US: (ā′ling)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

ail•ing  (ā′ling), adj. 

1. Pathology sickly;
   unwell.
2. unsound or troubled:
   a financially ailing corporation.

• ail + -ing² 1590–1600

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

ailing / ˈeɪlɪŋ/ adjective

1. unwell or unsuccessful

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

ail /eɪl/   v. 

1. to cause pain, uneasiness, or trouble to:
   [~ + object] What ails you, child?
2. Pathology [no object] to be unwell;
   feel pain;
   be ill: She's been ailing ever since she was bitten by that deer tick.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

ail  (āl), v.t. 

1. to cause pain, uneasiness, or trouble to.

v.i. 

2. Pathology to be unwell;
   feel pain;
   be ill:
   He's been ailing for some time.

• bef. 950; Middle English ail, eilen, Old English eglan to afflict (cognate with Middle Low German egelen annoy, Gothic -agljan), derivative of egle painful; akin to Gothic agls shameful, Sanskrit aghám evil, pain

Synonyms

• 1. bother, annoy, distress.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

ail / eɪl/ verb

1. (transitive) to trouble; afflict
2. (intransitive) to feel unwell

Etymology: Old English eglan to trouble, from egle troublesome, painful, related to Gothic agls shameful