as in screamed
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely
the time-honored tradition of new recruits complaining about the food in the mess hall
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of complained
Those include removing security gates that people complained rattled when cars drove over the track and notifying neighbors of special events at least 30 days in advance.
—
Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 18 Feb. 2026
Families have also complained about children being separated from them.
—Jordan Parker
aviation, Dallas Morning News, 18 Feb. 2026
Customers have complained about store conditions, including out-of-stock items and long checkout lines.
—Melissa Repko, CNBC, 18 Feb. 2026
Greene's manager, Gregg Edwards, told NBC News and The New York Times the following day that a wellness check had been carried out after one of Greene's neighbors had complained about music playing for 24 hours.
—Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 18 Feb. 2026
But a Ramona resident complained to the county that the venues were holding events without proper permits.
—Regina Elling, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026
For the first time, Springsteen used dynamic pricing for his tickets, which caused a backlash from fans who complained about seats going for thousands of dollars.
—Ross Raihala, Twin Cities, 17 Feb. 2026
In February 2024, employees complained about not getting paid after Fells Point Tavern suddenly closed.
—Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2026
Raskin complained there are just four computers in a DOJ satellite office where lawmakers can review the documents.
—John Parkinson, ABC News, 10 Feb. 2026
Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 18 Feb. 2026
Families have also complained about children being separated from them.
—Jordan Parker
aviation, Dallas Morning News, 18 Feb. 2026
Customers have complained about store conditions, including out-of-stock items and long checkout lines.
—Melissa Repko, CNBC, 18 Feb. 2026
Greene's manager, Gregg Edwards, told NBC News and The New York Times the following day that a wellness check had been carried out after one of Greene's neighbors had complained about music playing for 24 hours.
—Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 18 Feb. 2026
But a Ramona resident complained to the county that the venues were holding events without proper permits.
—Regina Elling, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026
For the first time, Springsteen used dynamic pricing for his tickets, which caused a backlash from fans who complained about seats going for thousands of dollars.
—Ross Raihala, Twin Cities, 17 Feb. 2026
In February 2024, employees complained about not getting paid after Fells Point Tavern suddenly closed.
—Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2026
Raskin complained there are just four computers in a DOJ satellite office where lawmakers can review the documents.
—John Parkinson, ABC News, 10 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for complained
Verb
-
Hudson was spotted out in New York City, and her look screamed grunge-cool.—
Eva Thomas,
InStyle,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Fans danced and screamed and sang.—
Zak Keefer,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The children jumped for joy after winning a game of cornhole; others fell and whined in defeat, but got up to play again.—
Christopher Buchanan,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Chip whined and nuzzled at my hand.—
Joel M. Vance,
Outdoor Life,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Critics moaned when the CFP committee picked the Hurricanes over Notre Dame as the last Power 4 entry into the playoffs.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Strapped to a stretcher in the back of an ambulance, the shooting victim moaned, then screamed.—
Lauren Caruba,
Dallas Morning News,
2 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
As for one consistent complaint heard muttered amid bleary-eyed guests of the former Standard, Schrager confirms the appropriate adjustments have been made.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Nov. 2025
-
But the other 3%, often muttered by students prospectively examining transfer applications, is distinct.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Trump has grumbled about the pace of implementation of a similar deal with South Korea, a key competitor with Japan on auto manufacturing, and threatened to increase tariffs once again.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Feb. 2026
-
As a result, many in the baseball world have grumbled and groaned about the massive spending Los Angeles is doing on the open market.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Hard-liners may have worried that a deal would change the balance of factional forces inside the regime, and so sought to shore up their internal position by arresting their rivals.—
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Bretherton, worried that these equations will never fully capture clouds’ behavior, is developing new AI tools that can predict the future directly from real-world data, barely relying on physics equations at all.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Come on, the gunman growled, turning and walking and beckoning with the pistol for Adi to follow.—
Jonathan Miles,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The dog growled and Esposito slowed his pace.—
René Guzman,
San Antonio Express-News,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Complained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/complained. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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