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ache

ache

92 1.3
A steady, dull pain in a part of the body
  • noun
  • /eɪk/
translation icon : dolor
  • She complained of a dull ache in her shoulder that wouldn’t go away.
  • aches and pains
  • stomach ache
  • body ache

Headaches, muscle aches, back pain, all kinds of issues like that.

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Examples

  • # Woke up this morning with an ache in my head #

  • Casimir's heart pounded, and a familiar ache spread wonderfully through his muscles.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • I thought she had a stomach ache.

  • You can't get a huge stomach ache if you eat the wrong thing.

  • She brings the lunch, tell her you got a stomach ache, and you duck out.

  • Several weeks later, Mrs. XYZ presented with an increasing dull ache in the right hypochondrium.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Still, the meager portion had done nothing to curb the ache in his stomach.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Headaches, muscle aches, back pain, all kinds of issues like that.

  • My mom has arthritis and muscle aches.

  • Cee Cee sat back in her chair with an acidic ache in her stomach.

    Fiction book (1991)

Synonyms

pain
vsache
1.0

An unpleasant feeling in the body because of injury or illness

is a specific continuous dull discomfort, not the broad category of suffering
aching
vsache
7 1.1

A constant, dull pain in a part of the body

is a continuous dull discomfort rather than a sharp or brief one
achiness
vsache
1 3.9

A low, constant pain in the body, often in muscles or joints

is a steady dull discomfort rather than a general mild soreness

Compounds

11 1.0

A pain in the stomach that makes you feel sick

hollow ache
  • Literature
7.9

A deep, empty pain in the chest or heart that feels emotional rather than physical

How Painful

agony
135 3.9
pain
1.0
ache
92 1.3
twinge
17 4.9
discomfort
119 3.2

Surface Forms

ache singular
aches plural

Etymology

Ache as a noun comes from the same old English word for 'pain', and it names that slow, lasting hurt. That's why an ache is not a sharp pain but a dull one that continues.