headache

1 a dull, unpleasant, or difficult piece of work <filling out all the required forms was a real headache> Synonyms bear, beast, chore, job, killer, laborRelated Words drudgery, grind, heavy lifting, lucubration; effort, strain, sweat; burden, load, weight; bother, nuisance, troubleNear Antonyms breeze, child's play, cinch, duck soup, kid stuff, setup, snap

2 something that is a source of irritation <one of the headaches of being a band teacher is never knowing if the school's music program will be cut> Synonyms aggravation, aggro [British], bother, botheration, bugbear, exasperation, frustration, hair shirt, hassle, annoyance, inconvenience, irk, irritant, nuisance, peeve, pest, rub, ruffle, thorn, trial, vexationRelated Words discomfort, fleabite, pinprick; affront, insult, offense (or offence); upset, worry; affliction, albatross, burden, cross, curse, menace, millstone, plague, sore; anxiety, plight, predicament, tribulation, trouble; hang-up, pet peeve, problem; annoyer, disturber, harasser, mischief, offender; pandora's boxNear Antonyms delight, joy, pleasure