1
: in an aching manner
achingly sad songs
2
: extremely, exceedingly
achingly complicated
Synonyms
- almighty
- archly
- awful
- awfully
- badly
- beastly
- blisteringly
- bone
- colossally
- corking
- cracking
- damn
- damned
- dang
- deadly
- desperately
- eminently
- enormously
- especially
- ever
- exceedingly
- exceeding
- extra
- extremely
- fabulously
- fantastically
- far
- fiercely
- filthy
- frightfully
- full
- greatly
- heavily
- highly
- hugely
- immensely
- incredibly
- intensely
- jolly
- majorly
- mightily
- mighty
- monstrous [chiefly dialect]
- mortally
- most
- much
- particularly
- passing
- rattling
- real
- really
- right
- roaring
- roaringly
- seriously
- severely
- so
- sore
- sorely
- spanking
- specially
- stinking
- such
- super
- supremely
- surpassingly
- terribly
- that
- thumping
- too
- unco
- uncommonly
- vastly
- very
- vitally
- way
- whacking
- wicked
- wildly
Examples of achingly in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Rustin is filled with such moments, when the actor takes everything from platitude-like declarations to punchlines to achingly sincere pleas and transforms them into something nearly transcendent.
—
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 15 Nov. 2023
Lisa Boone tells the achingly beautiful story of Stacie Vanags, who created a flower farm at her Ventura home after her husband, Chad, was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer.
—Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2023
Then there’s Design Miami, the fair affiliated with Art Basel whose galleries specialize in rare design pieces that are museum-quality and achingly covetable.
—Amy Verner, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2023
Its tone veers from laugh-out-loud funny to achingly sad to third-act-of-Goodfellas-level frantic, and back and forth again.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 June 2023
While the traditional preparations are superb — including achingly good Dungeness crab and tender firefly squid — Mr. Tsukasaki is also expanding the Edomae sushi vocabulary with dishes like lean tuna belly with housemade soy milk and shio koji.
—Melissa Clark, New York Times, 18 Sep. 2023
Today's pick over at Bring A Trailer—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos—is a 1974 BMW 2000tii achingly beautiful in black and chrome.
—Brendan McAleer, Car and Driver, 26 Aug. 2023
Lyons, the former president and creative director of J. Crew, who famously dressed Michelle Obama during her time as First Lady, has long been hailed as one of the most powerful women in fashion and a harbinger of all things achingly cool.
—Time, 21 Aug. 2023
And at the end of the block, progress is presumably being made on the achingly slow renovation of the Vision Theatre. Degnan Boulevard, meanwhile, still looks a mess.
—Erika D. Smith, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2023
See More
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 15 Nov. 2023
Lisa Boone tells the achingly beautiful story of Stacie Vanags, who created a flower farm at her Ventura home after her husband, Chad, was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer.
—Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2023
Then there’s Design Miami, the fair affiliated with Art Basel whose galleries specialize in rare design pieces that are museum-quality and achingly covetable.
—Amy Verner, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2023
Its tone veers from laugh-out-loud funny to achingly sad to third-act-of-Goodfellas-level frantic, and back and forth again.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 June 2023
While the traditional preparations are superb — including achingly good Dungeness crab and tender firefly squid — Mr. Tsukasaki is also expanding the Edomae sushi vocabulary with dishes like lean tuna belly with housemade soy milk and shio koji.
—Melissa Clark, New York Times, 18 Sep. 2023
Today's pick over at Bring A Trailer—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos—is a 1974 BMW 2000tii achingly beautiful in black and chrome.
—Brendan McAleer, Car and Driver, 26 Aug. 2023
Lyons, the former president and creative director of J. Crew, who famously dressed Michelle Obama during her time as First Lady, has long been hailed as one of the most powerful women in fashion and a harbinger of all things achingly cool.
—Time, 21 Aug. 2023
And at the end of the block, progress is presumably being made on the achingly slow renovation of the Vision Theatre. Degnan Boulevard, meanwhile, still looks a mess.
—Erika D. Smith, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'achingly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
First Known Use
1765, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near achingly
Cite this Entry
“Achingly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/achingly. Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.
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