complained

verb

past tense of complain
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

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of complained Business impact Two South Main Street restaurant owners complained to the Observer this year about a significant loss in trade due to the work. — Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 23 July 2026 In 2024, some players complained about a McDonald's ad appearing on a screen for selecting games. — Jordan Novet,annie Palmer, CNBC, 23 July 2026 Several Russian retailers complained that Wildberries’ terms of service had recently been changed to state that the e-retailer bears no liability for damage resulting from drone attacks. — Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 23 July 2026 But people noticed and complained that the penny had become an ad for the artist. — Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 July 2026 Muslim residents have long complained of being treated like second-class citizens in Thailand, and separatist movements have been periodically active for decades. — ABC News, 23 July 2026 The defense has also complained that Washington interfered with Maduro’s representation by initially preventing the Venezuelan government from paying his legal bills. — Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 22 July 2026 Facebook user Jeffrey Tucker complained in a post that the law was enforced only against a tent used by Democrats at a Chandler voting site. — Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 22 July 2026 Soon, some employees complained that creating large language models was much different from creating hardware, per Bloomberg, believing Musk didn’t understand AI. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 16 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for complained
  1. screamed
  2. whined
  3. moaned
  4. muttered
  5. grumbled
  6. worried
  7. growled
Verb
  • One passenger, identified only as Christina, told Thessaloniki radio that passengers panicked and screamed and that one passenger was partially sucked out of the window.
    — Costas Kantouris, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
  • There was no pomp and circumstance by Haaland, though his teammates screamed and jumped on his back.
    — Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2026
Definition of screamed
Verb
  • After a few casts, Rubye’s rod bent, and the reel whined as line spooled out.
    — John Todd, Outdoor Life, 9 July 2026
  • Traffic hummed and whined on I-85.
    — Thomas Lake, AJC.com, 13 May 2026
Definition of whined
Verb
  • Coach Arne Slot moaned about VAR but his problems lie much closer to home.
    — Phil Hay, New York Times, 4 May 2026
  • 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
Definition of moaned
Verb
  • Bat met ball and, under his breath, Astros manager Joe Espada muttered an expletive.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 29 June 2026
  • In the shadows of the long-hut, the elders muttered among themselves—of portents and crops and weather and the storage of grain.
    — Maggie O’Farrell, Literary Hub, 2 June 2026
Definition of muttered
Verb
  • American consumers have grumbled about higher gas prices, but the S&P 500 is up almost 9 percent since the joint American-Israeli operation that started the war in February.
    — Idrees Kahloon, The Atlantic, 9 July 2026
  • The congresswoman, her staffer and I grumbled about how unpredictable the House schedule has been lately.
    — Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 1 July 2026
Definition of grumbled
Verb
  • Earlier this year, investors worried artificial intelligence would disrupt the industry.
    — Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 16 July 2026
  • But fighting that erupted in the Middle East days later upended that trajectory, pushing bond yields and mortgage rates higher as investors worried the conflict would keep oil prices and inflation elevated.
    — Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 16 July 2026
Definition of worried
Verb
  • Jack White, who growled and grinded as the singer/guitarist of the White Stripes and has since positioned himself as a primal rock god on his own, is showing a new side as a sculptor with a show opening in a London gallery run by none other than Damien Hirst.
    — Andy Battaglia, ARTnews.com, 22 May 2026
  • Mira growled into her watch, excitedly.
    — Anna Wiener, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Definition of growled

Browse Nearby Words

complainants
complained
complainer
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Cite this Entry

“Complained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/complained. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of complained for Spanish Speakers

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