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; see origin at ache, -ing ²

Explanation

Anything that's aching is sore and painful. After a hike up the side of a steep mountain or a long day walking around a city, you'll want to rest your aching feet. To ache is to feel a dull, constant pain, and aching things ache. Both words stem from the Old English acan, "suffer pain," from a Proto-Indo-European root that might be imitative of a groaning sound, the kind of noise you may make when you have an aching head or an aching tooth. Things are sometimes described as aching in a figurative way, too, when they're full of sorrow, like an aching heart or an aching loneliness.

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Vocabulary lists containing aching

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Gordon Lightfoot (1938–2023) Tribute List

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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.

Markets finally got the cease-fire they have been aching for, and the subsequent relief rally was fast, furious, and jubilant—no matter that the truce is temporary and fragile.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

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 • Feb. 24, 2026

It is his new normal, along with the daily blackouts, the failing healthcare system, the trash piled high along the streets, and his aching joints from the mosquito-borne illnesses that have plagued the island.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 8, 2026

Most of us are aching not for perfection but for presence.

From Salon • Dec. 2, 2025

Hoisting their packs higher on their aching shoulders, they entered the gully.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

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