1
as in complaining
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
as in wailing
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of keening
Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2025
All the keening Elektras heartbreakingly silly.
—Anne Carson, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2025
Verb
But Dunne’s voice, lilting and keening, is rich with empathy.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2025
All the keening Elektras heartbreakingly silly.
—Anne Carson, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for keening
Verb
-
In my experience as an outfitter, Altra has always been my go-to suggestion whenever a customer walks in complaining about foot problems.—
Alice Bennett,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Miami is awful, and everyone should’ve known it the minute their players were complaining that their joint practice with the Bears was too tough.—
Jon Greenberg,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Siberian huskies are naturally vocal dogs, and howling like in the video is a normal part of their behavior.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Sep. 2025
-
The verse resumes, and the band soldiers on, Lenker’s perseverant guitar solo howling with the weary relief of a shipwrecked sailor spotting land.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Cherry breaks a Champagne flute on her own head and runs out of the gallery, screaming that Laura attacked her.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Danielle recounted hearing screaming and people running in the chaotic aftermath of the shooting.—
Bill Hutchinson,
ABC News,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
But his crying scene in Ford v Ferrari is one for the ages.—
Michael Granberry,
Dallas News,
17 Jan. 2020
Verb
-
Julia says, dropping to all fours and moaning amid a pile of straw on the floor.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Ellis could be heard moaning and could be seen lying on the ground.—
Elena Santa Cruz,
AZCentral.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.—
David Mamet,
National Review,
11 Aug. 2022
-
The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Verb
-
The cats kept them up each night with their incessant whining and scratching at their doors.—
Duaa Eldeib,
ProPublica,
10 Sep. 2025
-
In lesser hands, such a question, especially from a young white male who plays guitar for a living, could come off as whining.—
Joseph Hudak,
Rolling Stone,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
My husband has been muttering in a loop about tuition, books, food, and transportation to and from home to campus.—
Melissa Willets,
Parents,
15 Sep. 2025
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He was also heard muttering expletives down the stretch, visibly battling the heat and pressure.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Keening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/keening. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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