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keened

verb

past tense of keen
1
as in complained
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely victims of the disaster have been keening for weeks about the slowness of governmental aid

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in howled
to make a long loud mournful sound mourners keening for the victims of the bombing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for keened
  1. complained
  2. howled
  3. screamed
  4. whined
  5. moaned
  6. muttered
Verb
  • Blake Snell left Wednesday’s game early with groin issues and Tyler Glasnow recently complained of general discomfort.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
  • The recall was issued September 15 after consumers complained of stones and other hard objects within the dessert’s cashew clusters.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of complained
Verb
  • There are moments on Wowed Out when a younger James would have howled, would have ventured all the way out to sea, would have let his guitar erupt.
    — Ryan Leas, Pitchfork, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Our arrival in the Madawaska River country of eastern Ontario, near Combermere, was noteworthy only for the snow flurries and marrow-chilling gales that howled down from Hudson Bay to greet us.
    — HARRY H. EDEL, Outdoor Life, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of howled
Verb
  • The teen screamed and sat up, CPW said, and the bear then ran to the foot of her bed.
    — Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Interviewees describe hacking little girls’ phones to see when their fathers came home and then bombing their houses, listening while the people on the line screamed and pleaded for help, while mothers cried over their burning daughters.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of screamed
Verb
  • 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
  • After a few casts, Rubye’s rod bent, and the reel whined as line spooled out.
    — John Todd, Outdoor Life, 9 July 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
  • This was 1872, and the pious (and patronizing) commentators of the time muttered that Damien’s unvarnished personality was due to his simple farm upbringing in rural Belgium.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 2026
  • Bat met ball and, under his breath, Astros manager Joe Espada muttered an expletive.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 29 June 2026
Definition of muttered
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Keened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/keened. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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