1
as in feeling (for)
to have sympathy for
I ache for those people who have to spend the holidays alone
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in craving
to have an earnest wish to own or enjoy
aching for some quiet time to himself
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for aching (for)
Verb
-
There is nothing pitying and also nothing airbrushed in the pictures—just the occasional haze of a misty morning or the blurry tremor of a burning brush pile.—
Casey Cep,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026 -
Twenty-first-century indie shaped the identities of many Millennials, but it’s now often talked about with pitying nostalgia—as the bygone style of hipsters with handlebar mustaches pretending to be countercultural while making easy-listening music for hotel lobbies.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
What’s unclear is whether soccer superfans from Argentina will show up in droves, craving choripan and milanesa.—
Jenna Thompson
June 16,
Kansas City Star,
16 June 2026
-
But there are a few key games those of us already craving for football can’t wait to see.—
Gabriel Burns,
AJC.com,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres arrived in Haiti on Tuesday wanting to deliver a message of reassurance to the Haitian people amid surging gang violence, rising displacement and deepening hunger.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
17 June 2026
-
Or have been found wanting in some way.—
Jen Chaney,
Vulture,
17 June 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Aching (for).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aching%20%28for%29. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
