as in whined
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely
the time-honored tradition of new recruits complaining about the food in the mess hall
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Recent Examples of complained
Prosecutors describe the laws as an invaluable tool against would-be attackers, but civil liberties groups have long complained of overreach.
—
Hannah Allam, ProPublica, 10 Sep. 2025
Advertisement The panel has already obtained roughly 33,000 pages of records from the Justice Department, though Democrats have complained those disclosures contained little new information.
—Nik Popli, Time, 9 Sep. 2025
African businesses and governments have long complained that ratings agencies unfairly downgrade them relative to similar non-African peers, pushing up borrowing costs.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 9 Sep. 2025
The hosts of The View complained Monday about the prescription requirement to receive COVID-19 booster vaccines.
—Jenny Goldsberry, The Washington Examiner, 8 Sep. 2025
The woman complained and her grievance was upheld.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2025
Trump reportedly complained about her in private.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 8 Sep. 2025
But some residents complained they weren’t provided enough information about the project, which became a cause celebre for Republicans who led the way in stoking fears about the prospect of communist infiltration, given the Chinese ownership of the plant’s parent company.
—Olivia Olander, Chicago Tribune, 2 Sep. 2025
However, Magness argues that Hamilton pushed for the anti-immigrant measures and, after they were passed, complained that not enough deportations were taking place.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 2 Sep. 2025
Hannah Allam, ProPublica, 10 Sep. 2025
Advertisement The panel has already obtained roughly 33,000 pages of records from the Justice Department, though Democrats have complained those disclosures contained little new information.
—Nik Popli, Time, 9 Sep. 2025
African businesses and governments have long complained that ratings agencies unfairly downgrade them relative to similar non-African peers, pushing up borrowing costs.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 9 Sep. 2025
The hosts of The View complained Monday about the prescription requirement to receive COVID-19 booster vaccines.
—Jenny Goldsberry, The Washington Examiner, 8 Sep. 2025
The woman complained and her grievance was upheld.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2025
Trump reportedly complained about her in private.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 8 Sep. 2025
But some residents complained they weren’t provided enough information about the project, which became a cause celebre for Republicans who led the way in stoking fears about the prospect of communist infiltration, given the Chinese ownership of the plant’s parent company.
—Olivia Olander, Chicago Tribune, 2 Sep. 2025
However, Magness argues that Hamilton pushed for the anti-immigrant measures and, after they were passed, complained that not enough deportations were taking place.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 2 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for complained
Verb
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Witnesses screamed in horror and fled for cover after the bullet struck Kirk in the neck.—
Michael Ruiz , Peter D'Abrosca , Julia Bonavita , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , David Spunt , CB Cotton,
FOXNews.com,
12 Sep. 2025
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Images shared on social media showed flames shooting high into the air as people screamed and ran from the scene in the Iztapalapa borough.—
Rocío Muñoz-Ledo,
CNN Money,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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From the other room, the victim moaned.—
Stephanie Kuzydym,
The Courier-Journal,
15 Aug. 2025
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Yankees fans have moaned and groaned about Aaron Boone’s deployment of Williams in crucial situations this season, and it’s only exacerbated now that every game counts in the postseason race.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
9 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Although full disclosure, those two words were muttered in the press box Sunday after Nix had thrown two unsightly picks through the first three quarters of the Broncos’ win over Tennessee.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
7 Sep. 2025
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There are few actors whose disembodied voices could carry long stretches of cinema, but Dafoe manages it, turning monologues about marionette mechanics or muttered complaints about hotel politics into something weirdly magnetic.—
Leila Latif,
IndieWire,
31 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The novel, published to immediate controversy in India—an obscenity suit was filed over its portrayal of an intercaste romance—offended her Syrian Christian kin, who grumbled about misrepresentation.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
3 Sep. 2025
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At those, Democrats restless about their party’s direction grumbled at Levin’s answers and urged more action from their leaders; one event was disrupted by protests over Israel’s killing of Palestinians in Gaza.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Traders worried about inflation tend to pour money in gold, which some believe holds an intrinsic value that hedges against rising prices.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
15 Sep. 2025
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Some scientists worried such accidents might genuinely threaten our existence.—
Thomas Moynihan,
Big Think,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Complained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/complained. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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