ached

VERB

feeling soreness or dull pain, often physical

Synonyms

STRONGEST

throb

STRONG

hurt pain pound smart suffer twinge

WEAK

be sore

Antonyms

STRONG

aid assist assuage help please relieve soothe

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Those ached more than stung and left me completely voiceless for the following 24 hours.

From Slate • Apr. 18, 2026

During the workshops Rice says her hands cramped, her back hurt and her feet ached.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 7, 2025

"My heart ached, and I could only pray: 'God, please don't let that happen.'"

From BBC • Jan. 14, 2025

But my green thumb ached as workers sawed down the tree, took away everything — trunk, twigs, leaves, fruit, roots — in biohazard bags and tagged the remaining trees with a bill of clean health.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2024

Now more than ever, I ached to see them again.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros