Synonyms

aching

American

[ey-king] / ˈeɪ kɪŋ /

adjective

causing physical pain or distress.

treatment for an aching back.
full of or precipitating nostalgia, grief, loneliness, etc.

Other Word Forms

achingly adverb
unaching adjective
unachingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of aching

Middle English word dating back to 1200–1250; ache, -ing ²

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I was aching all over to have Papa go with me to look for the monkey, but I knew it wouldn’t do any good to ask him.

From Literature

Fighting back tears, the NBC host said in an Instagram video that they are "aching" for Nancy Guthrie, who is suspected to have been abducted from her home in Tucson, Arizona.

From BBC

There is also a feeling Maguire is happy in his surroundings too - that he is settled with his family in the north-west and has no aching desire to start again somewhere else just yet.

From BBC

However, the process has been opaque and achingly slow, and many farmers have refused the new deal.

From Barron's

Manville, one of our greatest actors, is achingly real, giving Stella the protective bearing of a wounded soldier.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023