aching
Americanadjective
-
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
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.
But Pasbar has followed events in Iran closely, his heart aching as he watched the recent crackdown on protests until he couldn't bear it any longer.
From Barron's • Mar. 16, 2026
It was everywhere, flooding radio, weddings and reality shows, the slowbuild, aching notes articulating romantic devotion that felt cinematic yet intensely personal.
From BBC • Jan. 28, 2026
Most of us are aching not for perfection but for presence.
From Salon • Dec. 2, 2025
Like many Syrians, the residents of Ma’an and the surrounding villages are aching to find answers about hundreds of missing relatives.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 19, 2025
But even kalte kost would be a small price to pay, I thought as I stretched my aching body on the foul straw, for the precious books I clutched between my hands.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
