Synonyms

itching

American

[ich-ing] / ˈɪtʃ ɪŋ /

adjective

of, relating to, or characterized by an irritating sensation of the skin.
of, relating to, or having a longing or desire to do or have something.

An itching public anxiously awaits her announcement.
characterized by restlessness or the desire for adventure or activity.

an itching impulse to travel.
characterized by the desire to grasp; grasping; an itching palm open for a bribe.

noun

itch.

Other Word Forms

itchingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of itching

before 1000; Middle English ( y ) ichinge, ( y ) itchinge (noun, adj.); replacing Old English giccende (adj.). See itch, -ing ², -ing ¹

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.

Born into a well-off family in central Taiwan on July 2, 1934, Liu worked briefly in his father's trading and food manufacturing company but was soon itching to branch out on his own.

From Barron's

An “intuitive wellness practitioner” who said she was trained in nutrition, botanical medicine and homeopathy, promised to get to the root cause of my itching.

From The Wall Street Journal

Fortunately, the network already had a talent who was itching for change.

From The Wall Street Journal

My insides started itching and my feet started hopping, one then the other, because they were ten minutes past being ready to go.

From Literature

With one Wonder under my belt, I was itching to go in search of more, but Pa was working extra hard and I didn’t have the heart to ask to take time off.

From Literature

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