Word
itching
Phoneticsitch·ing
US/ˈɪtʃɪŋ/
UK/ˈɪtʃɪŋ/
Definitions
01skin sensation
adj. having a feeling on your skin that makes you want to scratch it.
adj. experiencing a physical sensation of irritation on the skin that elicits the urge to scratch.
“He had an itching rash on his arm after walking through the tall grass.”
“The patient complained of an itching sensation around the wound, which the nurse noted as a common side effect of the healing process.”
Usage
Often used as a present participle in continuous tenses or as a participial adjective.
Synonyms
02wanting to do something
adj. wanting to do something very much or feeling restless because you want to start.
adj. feeling a restless or impatient desire to perform a particular action.
“After two weeks of rain, the kids were itching to go outside and play.”
“Having spent months in the research phase, the lead engineer was itching to begin the physical construction of the prototype.”
Informal
Usage
Typically followed by an infinitive verb phrase starting with 'to'.
Antonyms
03the feeling itself
n. the actual feeling of an itch.
n. the occurrence or state of experiencing an itch; the gerund form of the verb.
“The constant itching made it very difficult for him to fall asleep.”
“Chronic itching can lead to secondary skin infections if the patient is unable to resist the urge to scratch the affected area.”
Technical
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English ecchinge, ȝitchinge, ʒicchinde, ʒichande (also unassibilated as yckyng), from Old English ġiċċende (“itching”), from Proto-West Germanic jukkjandi, present participle of jukkjan (“to itch”), equivalent to itch + -ing.
From Middle English icchynge, ichynge, ycchenge, yecchyng, ʒicchunge (also unassibilated as ʒykynge), equivalent to itch + -ing.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/itching