ail

ail — verb

1. to be the source of worry, pain, or trouble for a person, group, or organization

1.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to be the source of worry, pain, or trouble for a person, group, or organization — most often used in the question 'what ails X?' when asking what is wrong, or to describe deep-seated problems hurting a company, country, or system.

Example

What ails you, my child? You have not eaten for two days.

fixed question pattern: 'what ails [someone]?'

The new prime minister promised to fix the problems ailing the country's health system.

modern productive use: 'ailing + [system/institution]'

Common collocations
  • what ails
  • ailing economy
  • ailing industry
  • ailing company
  • problems ailing
Synonyms
  • trouble

    neutral and far more common in everyday English

  • afflict

    formal; stresses ongoing suffering, often physical

  • plague

    vivid; implies repeated, hard-to-escape problems

Antonyms
  • comfort

    to ease someone's distress rather than cause it

Grammar Patterns

what ails + [person/thing]?

Usage Note

Almost always literary or formal; in everyday speech, Taiwanese learners should use 'what's wrong with…' or 'what's the problem with…' instead. The participle 'ailing' is the most common modern form, used before nouns like economy, industry, company, patient, or relationship.

Common Mistakes

What ails the printer? I cannot print.
What's wrong with the printer? I cannot print.
'ail' sounds old-fashioned for everyday objects; use 'what's wrong with' in casual speech.
My friend ails to find a job.
My friend is struggling to find a job.
'ail' cannot take a to-infinitive; it needs a direct object (the person or thing being troubled).

2. to be in poor health over a long period, especially because of an illness that s

2.verbintransitiveC2
Definition

to be in poor health over a long period, especially because of an illness that slowly gets worse — by extension, also said of an organization or thing whose condition is steadily declining.

Example

Grandfather had been ailing all winter, and the doctor visited the farm twice a week.

progressive 'be ailing' for chronic, slow illness

The ailing pop star canceled her tour and went home to rest.

attributive 'ailing + [person]' before a noun

Common collocations
  • ailing patient
  • ailing relative
  • ailing industry
  • ailing economy
  • long ailing
Synonyms
  • suffer

    common and neutral; usually paired with 'from + illness'

  • languish

    literary; suggests slow weakening with little hope

  • decline

    broader; covers health, business, or quality going down

Antonyms
  • thrive

    to grow strong and healthy — opposite of slowly weakening

  • recover

    to get well again after being ill

Grammar Patterns

[person] + be ailing

[person] + ail + (no object)

Usage Note

Rarely used as a finite verb in modern English ('he ails' sounds archaic). The participle form 'ailing' is alive and well — appears constantly in news writing about sick celebrities, weak companies, or troubled industries. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense focuses on the sufferer's state; sense 1 focuses on what is causing the trouble.

Common Mistakes

I ail today, so I will stay home.
I am not feeling well today, so I will stay home.
'ail' is far too literary for talking about your own short-term sickness; use 'feel sick' or 'be unwell'.
My uncle is ale and cannot work.
My uncle is ailing and cannot work.
'ail' (verb) and 'ale' (a type of beer) sound the same; double-check your spelling.

Word family

  • ailing
    adjectiveC1
  • ailment
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four verbs describe something causing problems, but they differ sharply in register and modern usage. 'Trouble' is the everyday neutral choice — 'something is troubling me' fits any conversation. 'Ail' is formal and slightly old-fashioned; today it survives mainly in the question 'what ails X?' and in the participle 'ailing' (an ailing economy, an ailing company). 'Afflict' is also formal but stresses long-lasting suffering, often physical: 'a disease that afflicts millions of children.' 'Plague' is the most vivid — it pictures problems that come back again and again, hard to shake off: 'doubts plagued her all night.' For a Taiwanese learner: in normal speech, pick 'trouble' or 'bother'; save 'ail' for written news headlines about struggling industries, and use 'plague' when you want to dramatize repeated, stubborn problems.

ail ↗trouble ↗afflictplague ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • seriously ailing
  • long ailing
  • clearly ailing

Phrases

  • what ails [someone/something]?
  • the ailing [noun]
  • problems ailing [noun]

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

'Ail' comes from Old English 'eglan', meaning to trouble or pain, which traces back to a Germanic root shared with words for 'evil' and 'distress'. In Middle English it appeared as 'eilen' and was used both for physical sickness and for general bother — the famous question 'what aileth thee?' (what ails you?) goes back many centuries. Over time everyday English replaced it with 'trouble' and 'be sick', leaving 'ail' to survive mainly in literary writing and in the productive participle 'ailing'.