GRUMBLED Synonyms: 76 Similar and Opposite Words

grumbled

verb

past tense of grumble

as in complained

to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely he grumbled about how sore his feet were after standing all day

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in growled

to make a low heavy rolling sound heavily loaded trucks grumbling as they passed over the steel bridge

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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 grumbled The rest of us either quietly grumbled, or our comments were drowned in a sea of nastiness. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026 Rotten sat alone on an old, overstuffed couch and grumbled to himself while Sidney entertained the four ladies. — Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026 There was a parade, and the masses grumbled over the faint legitimacy of the ordeal. — Noah White, Miami Herald, 17 Aug. 2026 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 Some soccer purists grumbled about the World Cup expanding this year from 32 to 48 teams. — Michael Cunningham, AJC.com, 29 June 2026 While diehards have grumbled about the two intervals, which enable media partners to air as many as 10 in-match commercials per game, the opportunity to squeeze some extra revenue out of the FIFA mandate has been too lucrative for Fox to pass up. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 17 June 2026 Fans grumbled and became apathetic. — Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 14 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for grumbled

Verb

Related Stories Melania wasn’t the only one; Republicans in states with a large Latino population, like Florida and Texas, reportedly complained too.

— StyleCaster Editors, StyleCaster, 5 Nov. 2026
The division also makes military-grade Starshield satellites, which were at issue last month when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky complained his country’s access to them had been slowed down.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of complained

Verb

Since then, Barkley has growled at several other people, and all but one have been diagnosed with some type of cancer, Dozier said.

— Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman, 11 Aug. 2026
At the other end of our road, the cranes of the docks loomed — great Stothert and Pitt machines that growled overhead like something out of Star Wars, guarding the scale and mystery of the River Thames.

— Lee Clayton, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of growled

Verb

Rays third baseman Junior Caminero screamed in the dugout after Milwaukee had rallied to tie the game.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
Still only a teenager whose magical passes screamed louder than any of his two-word interview answers ever could, Doncic didn’t say a word with Real Madrid, his longtime Spanish agent Quique Villalobos said.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of screamed

Verb

Mahomes completed a short pass to the Chiefs tight end, who rumbled down the field, rolling down at the Chargers’ 20-yard line for a 24-yard gain.

— Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2026
Chez Fonfon sits at the crux of Five Points South, a neighborhood named for five streets that converge in a star shape where streetcars connecting the then suburb of Highland to the city once rumbled.

— Leslie Pariseau, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of rumbled

Verb

Unlike last year when Texas coach Steve Sarkisian whined about his non-conference schedule, his main complaint this year will be his conference schedule.

— Mac Engel October 25, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Oct. 2026
Post-Covid, Hollywood has whined about the falloff for MPA fare in Pan Asian territories, particularly the once-robust South Korea.

— Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 28 July 2026

Definition of whined

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grumble

grumbled

grumbler

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“Grumbled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grumbled. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of grumbled

verb

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