keening 1 of 2

adjective

as in wailing

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keening

2 of 2

verb

present participle of keen
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
2
as in howling
to make a long loud mournful sound mourners keening for the victims of the bombing

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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 keening
Adjective
The memoir shows little interest in the gambler’s psychology or the keening dramas of the floor. — Dan Piepenbring, New Yorker, 4 Feb. 2026 This sequence, with its onstage vengeance, despair and keening dialogue, and its offstage look at how Kikuo’s triumph affects the two people closest to him, is one of the most powerful in the movie. — Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 29 Oct. 2025 But Dunne’s voice, lilting and keening, is rich with empathy. — Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for keening
  1. wailing
  2. complaining
  3. howling
  4. crying
  5. screaming
  6. weeping
  7. whining
  8. sentimental
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
Definition of wailing
Verb
  • In short order, users started complaining about multiple system reboots rather than the one expected with a security update.
    — Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
  • Nights in a restaurant are often spent describing flavors, in sensory attention—at least when they aren’t filled with flirting with your coworkers or complaining about guests.
    — Kyle Lucia Wu, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 July 2026
Definition of complaining
Verb
  • When giant hailstones start falling, or howling winter winds threaten to tear solar panels from the roof, the unprotected modules can do nothing but take the beating.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 17 July 2026
  • For hours every day, the husky, howling piteously, would try in vain to leap the walls of his prison.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 July 2026
Definition of howling
Adjective
  • Some in the pro-crying camp pointed to articles and headlines as proof.
    — Jon Sarlin, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
Definition of crying
Verb
  • In the video, the crowd could be heard cheering and screaming.
    — Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 13 July 2026
  • No stranger to delivering a live performance for thousands of screaming fans, Dwayne Johnson is looking to add a Broadway show to his extensive resume.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 11 July 2026
Definition of screaming
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
Definition of weeping
Verb
  • No whining about measly travel headaches with the mother of all bad-trip sagas looming on the big screen.
    — Alex Pulaski, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
  • All this whining about online hate and fans being mean and blah, blah, blah.
    — Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 July 2026
Definition of whining
Adjective
  • Camilla also regularly wears pieces from the late Queen Elizabeth II’s collection, including brooches, tiaras and other sentimental pieces.
    — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 15 July 2026
  • Kate also wore the bracelet to Wimbledon in early July and to a visit to Evelina London Children’s Hospital—no doubt the most sentimental addition to her bracelet stack.
    — Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 13 July 2026
Definition of sentimental

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keened
keening
keenly
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Cite this Entry

“Keening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/keening. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

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