Ailing is the adjective describing someone who is unwell or in poor health. It can also function as a verb form of ail, indicating the act of becoming ill or experiencing illness. In medical or formal discourse, it often conveys ongoing or current state of health that is deteriorating or fragile.
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"The patient has been ailing for several weeks and needs careful monitoring."
"Ailing companies faced liquidity issues during the recession."
"She sent an update about her ailing grandmother’s condition."
"The team’s performance continued to worsen as the season progressed, ailing morale and confidence."
Ailing comes from the verb ail, meaning to suffer ill health. The word ail originates from Old English aelian or eg, with roots in Germanic languages; related forms appear in Old Norse and other Germanic tongues. The suffix -ing is a present participle/gerund marker in English, signifying ongoing or continuous action (being in the process of ailment). Historically, ail first appeared in Middle English with senses centered on suffering or being unwell, evolving into the present adjectival and verbal usage. The transition from a simple verb to a stative adjective (ailing person / ailing condition) reflects a common pattern in English where participial forms become adjectives describing current states. First known uses of ail and ailing emerge in early medieval texts, with later medical literature using ailing to denote symptoms, illness progression, or fragility of health in both individuals and institutions. Over time, ailing has also carried metaphorical senses (ailing economy, ailing enterprise) to describe deteriorating systems or conditions, extending its application beyond strictly medical contexts.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "ailing" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "ailing"
-ing sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounce as two syllables: /ˈeɪ.lɪŋ/. The first syllable has a long A as in 'day,' with the mouth wide and the tongue high front; the second syllable is a short, lax 'ling' with a light, nasal ending. Stress is on the first syllable. When speaking quickly, some speakers reduce to /ˈeɪlɪŋ/ keeping the same vowel quality but with a slightly shorter second syllable. For reference, visualize it as 'A' (as in day) + 'ling' (as in cling without the c), ensuring the -ing ends with a soft nasal.
Common mistakes include misplacing the diphthong in the first syllable, saying /ˈeɪlɪŋ/ with the A as a short vowel, or flattening the second syllable into a reduced /ən/ in fast speech. Another frequent error is stressing the second syllable or producing a hard velar nasal instead of the correct final nasal /-ŋ/. Correction tips: practice the diphthong /eɪ/ distinctly by starting with an open jaw and then gliding to a closed position, ensure the second syllable uses a clear /lɪŋ/ with the tongue touching the alveolar ridge for the onset of -ling, and maintain the final nasal without adding a vowel after it.
In US/UK/AU, the word remains two syllables with the /ˈeɪ/ diphthong in the first syllable. US rhotic tendencies do not affect the ailing stem; vowels are slightly more relaxed in US speech, but /eɪ/ remains prominent. UK and AU accents retain a crisp /eɪ/, with slight vowel height differences in AU often perceived as a brighter quality. The final -ing typically remains /-ɪŋ/ in all three, though some fast Australian speech may reduce to /-n̩/ or /-ɪn/ in casual speech. Overall, the primary variation is vowel length and the quality of the rhotics around the surrounding consonants.
Because it blends a strong first-syllable diphthong /eɪ/ with a soft, nasal ending /-ɪŋ/, requiring precise control of jaw openness and tongue position. The onset of /eɪ/ demands an initial open jaw and a smooth glide, while the following /l/ plus /ɪŋ/ requires accurate alveolar placement and nasal resonance. Speakers often mispronounce by shortening /eɪ/ to a simple /e/ or by turning the final /ŋ/ into a /ŋɡ/ or /n/ sound in rapid speech. Slow practice with careful mouth positioning, then gradual speed, helps stabilize the two distinct phonetic stages.
A common query is whether the 'ailing' ending forms a syllabic nasal; it does not. The final /-ŋ/ is a standard velar nasal when spoken, but due to fluid speech, some speakers unintentionally nasalize the preceding vowel or omit the full -ɪŋ sequence in rapid conversation. Maintain the separate vowel and nasality: /ˈeɪ.lɪŋ/ with the second syllable clearly produced, avoiding a clipped or glottalized final. Paying attention to the tongue tip position against the alveolar ridge helps the /l/ and /ŋ/ stay distinct.
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