1
as in job
a dull, unpleasant, or difficult piece of work
filling out all the required forms was a real headache
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nuisance
something that is a source of irritation
one of the headaches of being a band teacher is never knowing if the school's music program will be cut
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of headache
This will mean that the US can produce the B-21 in numbers faster, but any undiscovered faults with the design could cause major headaches down the line.
—
Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 26 Apr. 2026
Signs of a stroke can be identified by sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm, or leg; sudden confusion, trouble speaking, or difficulty understanding speech; issues with eyesight; loss of balance, dizziness, and difficulty walking; and severe headache with no identifiable cause.
—Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2026
Sources also previously told CBS News New York Penn Station will partially close for four hours before each match, adding to the transportation headache.
—Elijah Westbrook, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026
In the short run the Middle East conflict has become a headache for policymakers, raising fuel and fertilizer prices and stoking inflation.
—Juan Pablo Spinetto, Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for headache
Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 26 Apr. 2026
Signs of a stroke can be identified by sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm, or leg; sudden confusion, trouble speaking, or difficulty understanding speech; issues with eyesight; loss of balance, dizziness, and difficulty walking; and severe headache with no identifiable cause.
—Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2026
Sources also previously told CBS News New York Penn Station will partially close for four hours before each match, adding to the transportation headache.
—Elijah Westbrook, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026
In the short run the Middle East conflict has become a headache for policymakers, raising fuel and fertilizer prices and stoking inflation.
—Juan Pablo Spinetto, Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for headache
Recent Examples of Synonyms for headache
Noun
-
He was brought in as competition with Milton for the backup job.—
Jon Machota,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
When people are priced out of their neighborhoods, they are pushed farther away from their jobs, schools and support systems.—
Ryan von Weller,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
If data centers eventually are included, for example, neighbors could take a hit due to impacts on electricity costs, water access, industrial noise and other nuisances that can come into play when a megaproject moves in next door.—
David Greising,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
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Not all ants are bad for the garden—some help with soil health and pest control—but fire ants and carpenter ants can be serious nuisances or hazards.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The person who had called in the incident identified Sweeney, who was still there, as her killer.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Pull weeds from clover by hand—avoid weed killers.—
Lee Wallender,
The Spruce,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Most fans understand that the need for more professional-caliber resources wasn’t going to be met under Mohegan Tribe ownership, but there is deep frustration over the Sun’s relocation out of New England.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
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But for the residents and business-owners, the possibility of another set of G train outage evoked frustration after two years of service suspensions while crews worked to upgrade the signaling system on the Crosstown Line.—
Evan Simko-Bednarski,
New York Daily News,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
An alternative would be a one-time tax increase, placing a significant financial burden on Chicagoans in a single year — clearly an unacceptable approach.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
-
What changed was not her income, but her energy burden.—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Gast Studio’s Stem Vase, on show at group exhibition Deoron, features glossy oversized thorn shapes that give the object both a hostile presence and a pleasingly jagged profile, like a rose stem on steroids.—
Francesca Perry,
CNN Money,
24 Apr. 2026
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Shelter has long been a thorn in the side of the inflationary outlook for a very long time.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Jessica Chmielewski, Colleen Gartlan and Ella Riordan led a strong defensive effort in front of Noone.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
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The effort will focus on solutions that can be adapted elsewhere in the world, such as sustainable finance, digital innovation and workforce development.—
Jennifer Bringle,
Footwear News,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Prices surged overnight on worries that the war will affect the flow of crude for a long time.—
Mae Anderson,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
-
Wall Street’s strength followed manic swings in the oil market, where prices surged overnight on worries that the Iran war will affect the flow of crude for a long time.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
Video
An Abbreviated History of American English Spelling
Soop, wimmen, and headake did not make the cut
Cite this Entry
“Headache.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/headache. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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