headache

noun

head·​ache ˈhed-ˌāk 

1

: pain in the head

2

: a vexatious or baffling situation or problem

… meetings had become a giant headache.

—Franklin Foer

headachy adjective

or less commonly headachey

ˈhed-ˌā-kē 

Synonyms of headache

• job
• killer
• burden
• effort

Examples of headache in a Sentence

I'm starting to get a headache.

The symptoms include fever and headache.

The city's biggest headache is traffic.

Managing your finances can be a real headache.

Recent Examples on the Web

Less common symptoms include vomiting, headache, a low fever and other flu-like symptoms. — Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 27 July 2026

More than four years later, Garland’s bold promises have dissolved into nothing but a big headache. — Giacomo Tognini, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026

Kuala Lumpur is around a one-hour flight from Singapore, reducing the logistical headache for teams and making the demands of a tripleheader more palatable. — Luke Smith, New York Times, 26 July 2026

And with peak travel season underway, millions of people may have to contend with this disorienting condition, which can cause sleep disturbances, daytime tiredness, headaches and nasty gastrointestinal symptoms. — Laura Ungar, Chicago Tribune, 25 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing headache

• cluster headache
• ice-cream headache
• pre-headache
• sick headache
• splitting headache
• tension headache

Rhymes for headache

• awake
• backache
• beefsteak
• betake
• cheesecake
• cupcake
• daybreak
• earthquake
• forsake
• gouache
• handshake
• heartache

Video

An Abbreviated History of American English Spelling

Soop, wimmen, and headake did not make the cut

Kids Definition

headache

noun

head·​ache ˈhed-ˌāk 

1

: pain in the head

2

: an annoying or baffling situation or problem

headachy

-ˌā-kē 

adjective

Medical Definition

headache

noun

head·​ache ˈhed-ˌāk 

: pain in the head

called also cephalalgia

headachy

-ˌā-kē 

adjective