ailing

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈeɪlɪŋ/ UK /ˈeɪlɪŋ/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
in poor health or in difficulty; unwell or failing

She nursed her ailing father for the better part of a year.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · in poor health or in... sick unwell ill sickly failing unhealthy

Opposites

healthy well thriving robust

Word family

Related forms ail ailment

Etymology

Present participle of ail, from Middle English ailen, from Old English eglan ('to trouble, afflict'), from egle ('troublesome, painful').

eglan Old English *aglijaną Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# ailing

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈeɪlɪŋ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈeɪlɪŋ/

## Meanings
1. in poor health or in difficulty; unwell or failing

## Examples
- She nursed her ailing father for the better part of a year.

## Synonyms
- sick
- unwell
- ill
- sickly
- failing
- unhealthy

## Antonyms
- healthy
- well
- thriving
- robust

## Related Forms
- ail
- ailment

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: eglan
- Root: *aglijaną

## Etymology
Present participle of ail, from Middle English ailen, from Old English eglan ('to trouble, afflict'), from egle ('troublesome, painful').

## AI Etymology
ailing is the present participle of ail, from Middle English ailen, from Old English eglan ('to trouble, afflict'), from egle ('troublesome, painful'). The path is chiefly one of transmission: an older form is taken into English, with the word's shape and meaning carried through the language names and forms preserved in the history. In modern use, the adjective sense is "in poor health or in difficulty; unwell or failing", which keeps the etymology connected to the word's present dictionary value rather than treating it as a merely historical label. The wider word family includes related English forms such as ail, ailment, showing how the same base continues to support neighboring English vocabulary. The principal historical forms in the chain include Old English eglan, Proto-Germanic *aglijaną, which anchor the explanation in named linguistic material.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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