ailing

/ˈeɪlɪŋ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈeɪlɪŋ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈā-liŋ/ (ame, mw)

ailing — adjective

  • ailingpositive
  • more ailingcomparative
  • most ailingsuperlative

1. describes a company, organization, country, or system that is experiencing serio

1.形容詞B2
釋義

describes a company, organization, country, or system that is experiencing serious problems and becoming progressively weaker.

例句

The ailing car manufacturer laid off three thousand workers last month.

collocation: ailing + [company/manufacturer]

Government officials are looking for ways to rescue the ailing banking system.

collocation: ailing + [system/economy]

同義詞
  • struggling

    more active — emphasizes ongoing effort to survive; 'a struggling small business'

  • failing

    stronger — suggests the organization is close to collapse; 'a failing airline'

  • troubled

    general — can include financial, managerial, or legal problems; 'a troubled bank'

反義詞
  • thriving

    opposite — successful and growing; 'a thriving restaurant chain'

  • strong

    opposite — financially or operationally sound; 'a strong local economy'

文法句型

ailing + noun (company, economy, system, industry)

用法筆記

Used almost exclusively before a noun (attributive position). Unlike 'sick' or 'ill', this sense does not work predicatively: say 'an ailing steel mill' but not 'the steel mill is ailing' in everyday English.

常見錯誤

❌The company is ailing very badly.
✅The ailing company has been struggling for years.
💡'Ailing' is not used in progressive or comparative forms; use 'struggling' or 'failing' for that structure.

2. describes a person, animal, or plant that is sick, especially over a long period

2.形容詞B1
釋義

describes a person, animal, or plant that is sick, especially over a long period without signs of recovery.

例句

The old dog had been ailing for months before the vet finally found the problem.

be ailing for [period] — commonly used predicatively here

Clara visits her ailing grandmother every weekend at the nursing home.

collocation: ailing + family member

同義詞
  • sick

    everyday word for any illness; 'a sick child'

  • ill

    slightly more formal than 'sick'; 'an ill patient'

  • unwell

    polite, general; 'feeling unwell'

  • infirm

    formal — emphasizes age-related weakness; 'care for the infirm'

反義詞
  • healthy

    opposite — in good physical condition; 'a healthy young man'

  • well

    opposite — not sick; 'feeling well again'

文法句型

ailing + noun (person, animal, plant)

be ailing (less common)

用法筆記

More formal and literary than 'sick' or 'ill'. Common in news reporting and medical writing. Implies a condition that has lasted a while rather than a short-term illness. Unlike sense 1, this sense does appear predicatively (e.g., 'He has been ailing for weeks').

常見錯誤

❌I stayed home because I was ailing.
✅I stayed home because I was feeling unwell.
💡'Ailing' sounds too formal and heavy for everyday minor illness; use it for long-term or serious conditions.
❌She has been ailing with a cold for two days.
✅She has been ailing from a chronic condition for months.
💡'Ailing' implies a longer, more persistent condition, not a short cold.