ailing

IPA/ˈeɪlɪŋ/
KK[ˈelɪŋ]IPA/ˈeɪlɪŋ/

ailing — 形容詞

  • ailingpositive
  • more ailingcomparative
  • most ailingsuperlative

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

1.形容詞B2
釋義

經營不善的

指企業、機構等陷入困境、問題重重

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.

這家經營不善的汽車製造商上個月解僱了三千名員工。

collocation: ailing + [company/manufacturer]

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

政府官員正在想辦法挽救陷入困境的銀行體系。

collocation: ailing + [system/economy]

常見搭配
  • ailing company
  • ailing economy
  • ailing industry
  • ailing banking system
  • ailing business
  • ailing hospital
  • ailing newspaper
  • ailing steel mill
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

久病不癒的

指人或動物長期生病、健康狀況不佳

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.

那隻老狗生病好幾個月後，獸醫才找出問題所在。

be ailing for [period] — commonly used predicatively here

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

Clara 每個週末都去養老院探望她身體不佳的祖母。

collocation: ailing + family member

常見搭配
  • ailing health
  • ailing grandmother
  • ailing mother
  • ailing father
  • ailing patient
  • ailing child
  • ailing dog
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.

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