1
as in sore
causing or feeling bodily pain
my poor, aching back
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in weeping
expressing or suggesting mourning
another one of those aching country songs about a woman who done him wrong
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in hurting
to feel or cause physical pain
my feet ache from all that walking
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of aching
Harper's Magazine, 21 June 2024
Rough Beginnings Razvan's childhood was financially aching.
—Brianna Kamienski, USA TODAY, 28 June 2024
Outside Online, 5 Mar. 2025
Because at the end of the day, the best travel memories should come from the destination—not from aching feet.
—Jordi Lippe-McGraw, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for aching
Adjective
Thousands travel to Angelus Temple, packing the streetcars and mobbing the doors, standing with aching feet in the hope of gaining admittance.
—Harper's Magazine, 21 June 2024
Rough Beginnings Razvan's childhood was financially aching.
—Brianna Kamienski, USA TODAY, 28 June 2024
Verb
Confronting our violent history is a gut wrenching and heart aching task.
—Outside Online, 5 Mar. 2025
Because at the end of the day, the best travel memories should come from the destination—not from aching feet.
—Jordi Lippe-McGraw, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for aching
Recent Examples of Synonyms for aching
Adjective
-
Are sore, achy feet keeping you from putting your best foot forward?—
Andee Tagle,
NPR,
7 June 2025
-
Meyers insisted that this was the only sore subject between the two comedians.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
4 June 2025
Adjective
-
And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.—
David Mamet,
National Review,
11 Aug. 2022
-
The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Adjective
-
For millions of Americans, the road to an Alzheimer’s diagnosis is slow and painful, sought only when symptoms become unmistakable.—
Louise Jacobsen Fisher,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 June 2025
-
And sometimes, that transformation, though painful, can deepen our capacity for compassion, connection, and appreciation for the precious gift of life itself.—
Charell G. Coleman,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2025
Adjective
-
For that reason, the show would have always been the curator’s natural point of entry even without this year’s mournful context.—
Ben Croll,
Variety,
12 June 2025
-
For May 1966’s expansive Pet Sounds, Wilson and lyricist Tony Asher created a song cycle documenting a passage from youthful innocence to mournful adulthood that the composer contrasted with delicately sophisticated yet openhearted orchestrations.—
Barry Walters,
Billboard,
11 June 2025
Adjective
-
The second track on the LP told the story of a heartbroken barmaid pining after a sailor who refused to give up his nomadically maritime lifestyle for her.—
Josh Weiss,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
-
Courtesy of Lionsgate The heartbroken little girl with the ballerina music box will grow up to be Ana de Armas’ Eve Macarro, a young woman bent on—what else?—avenging her father’s murder.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
6 June 2025
Adjective
-
Bright red ribbons decorate the trees and signposts of northwest suburban Niles in anticipation of a funeral procession and service today to honor Chicago Fire Department Capt. David Meyer, who was killed last week while battling a suspicious garage fire in the Austin neighborhood.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2025
-
The funeral Mass for Pope Francis was attended by many world leaders including President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump.—
Mike Snider,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Right after that, Kansas will face bitter rival Missouri at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City on Dec. 7.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
4 June 2025
-
Like every other entrepreneur, Ian had to face bitter betrayal from people who once believed in his vision.—
Jason Phillips,
USA Today,
4 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Aching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aching. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share