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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
-
Dani has fallen asleep, though only after complaining vociferously about the light.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Lyons said store owners had been complaining about the retail for some time.—
Luke Barr,
ABC News,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In the video after his thrilling run, Flav can be heard howling in delight at the white-knuckle ride down the icy shoot.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Head coach Sean McVay certainly acted like it, thrusting his fists through the air in triumph as Verse skipped down the field, howling at the sparsely populated crowd at M&T Bank Stadium.—
Adam Grosbard,
Oc Register,
12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Sitting opposite an old people’s home in a residential corner of Paris’ 14th arrondissement, La Santé’s unassuming presence is only given away by the occasional wailing siren as prisoners are transported to and from the site.—
Joseph Ataman,
CNN Money,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
There’s screaming, crying and even a little slapping.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
-
While in the costume, the former Disney star also replicated the photo that started it all and filmed a hilarious video pretending to be Poot screaming and fighting for freedom in a garage.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
But his crying scene in Ford v Ferrari is one for the ages.—
Michael Granberry,
Dallas News,
17 Jan. 2020
Verb
-
There’s something moaning in the background.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
10 Oct. 2025
-
The deputies ultimately roll him over before putting on handcuffs as Mull can be heard moaning in pain.—
Nathaniel Percy,
Oc Register,
26 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
-
Chip heeled tight to my left, his ears laid back, whining softly.—
Joel M. Vance,
Outdoor Life,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Marcus poked out his bottom lip, but no whining this time.—
Lizz Schumer,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Keening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/keening. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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