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
-
After the Cuban Revolution in the 1950s, leaving the island came with serious risk for players craving the opportunity to showcase their talent on baseball’s biggest stage.—
Tyler Carmona,
Miami Herald,
11 Mar. 2026 -
Planted next to a moisture-craving plant like cucumbers can cause the plants to compete for moisture and nutrients.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The mother took him in, pitying his orphan status and appreciating his straightforward manners, neither servile nor presumptuous, but respectful and unembarrassed and warm.—
Daniyal Mueenuddin,
New Yorker,
23 Nov. 2025
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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
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Obviously there are risks with all kinds of energy imports, and some European leaders have been vocal about not wanting to replace reliance on Russian or even US fossil fuels with dependence on Chinese clean tech.—
Tim McDonnell,
semafor.com,
10 Mar. 2026
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But, pulling from his own experience growing up at a well-to-do London school, Froushan tapped into that same sense of wanting to be like everyone else.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Aching (for).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aching%20%28for%29. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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