complainer

noun

Definition of complainernext
1
as in baby
a person who makes frequent complaints usually about little things she early on got a reputation as a complainer after finding fault with her work space

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in crab
an irritable and complaining person a chronic complainer

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 complainer Are they deluded into thinking that the complainers are just a squeaky wheel minority and the majority of fans are happy with it? — Jeremy Rutherford, New York Times, 13 July 2026 Instead of pushing through pain and not speaking up for fear they'll be labeled weak or a complainer, this generation is more inclined to listen to their bodies, advocate for themselves, and address the issue through the proper resources. — Sarah Scott, Parents, 10 June 2026 However, the Lakers are complainers to begin with and have always gotten a favorable whistle. — David Troy Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 May 2026 The pervasive popularity of the show and its creator will be the reason the complainers have no voice. — Rich Heldenfels, Boston Herald, 22 Mar. 2026 An energy vampire has bad body language, the complaining look on their face, the vocal complainer. — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2026 If family needs cause drama, set kind boundaries and explain them to any complainers. — Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 2 Jan. 2026 The faculty experience has been that administrations often side with the complainers. — Louis Menand, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025 Recognize Quieter Customers Celebrate the non-complainers. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for complainer
  1. baby
  2. crab
  3. whiner
  4. bear
  5. crybaby
  6. crank
  7. fussbudget
  8. fusspot
Noun
  • Lots of acorns one year means lots of mice the next, which gives baby ticks a greater chance of biting a mouse and surviving long enough to bite us.
    — Meg Tirrell, CNN Money, 14 July 2026
  • Families across Southeast Michigan now have access to a specialized ambulance designed specifically for babies and children in need of critical medical transport.
    — Hannah McIlree, CBS News, 13 July 2026
Definition of baby
Noun
  • Gunther trapped Cody in a half-crab after the final commercial break.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026
  • In recent decades, the Mediterranean waters have warmed to temperatures that allow the blue crabs to reproduce more successfully — sometimes multiple times within a single breeding season.
    — Kasha Patel, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
Definition of crab
Noun
  • There are no bigger whiners in the league than LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Deandre Ayton, who have in their minds never committed a foul and are always fouled with no call on any possession.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2026
  • Continue reading … DAVID MARCUS – Patriotic Team USA wins gold as anti-America whiners flop.
    — , FOXNews.com, 24 Feb. 2026
Definition of whiner
Noun
  • They are advised to remain at least 100 yards away from bears, wolves and cougars.
    — Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 13 July 2026
  • The video shows the bear rushing Koerwitz, who grabs a can of bear spray and shoots it at the bear.
    — David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 13 July 2026
Definition of bear
Noun
  • As children, Keaton often dismissed her younger brother as a crybaby, scaredy cat and a nuisance who was coddled by their mother.
    — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 26 Dec. 2025
  • From the instigator to the crybaby, everyone gets to partake in the seasonal chaos.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 25 Dec. 2025
Definition of crybaby
Noun
  • The firefighters ultimately used a hand crank to move the elevator, and Wallace told the outlet that the museum gave the everyone lifetime free passes in return.
    — Liza Esquibias, USA Today, 10 July 2026
  • The crank makes opening and closing easy, and the cloth is UV-resistant and waterproof.
    — Shea Simmons, Southern Living, 3 July 2026
Definition of crank
Noun
  • The progressive mayor of New York wanted a mega financial institution to anchor his preferred business district, and no preservationist fussbudgets were going to get in the way.
    — Justin Davidson, Daily Intelligencer, 22 Feb. 2018
Definition of fussbudget
Noun
  • In Deborah, the show offers a lonely boomer fusspot with the politics of Dwight Eisenhower.
    — Graham Hillard, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 12 July 2024
  • However, this trait can appear as a stickler for perfection, precision, fusspot, formalist, nitpicker, pedantic, and fastidious.
    — Colleen Reilly, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024
Definition of fusspot

Browse Nearby Words

complained
complainer
complainers
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Complainer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/complainer. Accessed 20 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of raffish

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All