as in wailing
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
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
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
-
Your corrupt presidency of graft, vengeance and ceaseless vacillation between loudly complaining and loudly boasting has become like a jackhammer outside our collective window every day since your inauguration.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
21 Feb. 2026
-
But please don’t stop complaining about the numerous kids who abuse traffic laws while riding dangerously on e-bikes.—
Ticked Off,
The Orlando Sentinel,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But physical appearance is not the only thing that defines them, as therians adopt animal-like attitudes such as walking or running on all fours, sniffing, howling, meowing, and sometimes biting.—
Paula Soria,
AZCentral.com,
17 Feb. 2026
-
The onslaught of bad news elicited howling in Canada, groans in Atlanta and frenetic Googling to determine just what, exactly, is the hamate bone.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
12 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
But his crying scene in Ford v Ferrari is one for the ages.—
Michael Granberry,
Dallas News,
17 Jan. 2020
Verb
-
As the nation bonded as one over the past two weeks biting nails, screaming at wins, wincing at crashes and choking up at all the beautiful moments of Olympic competition, another group of athletes were – and still are – out honing their multi-level championship skills.—
Moira McCarthy,
Boston Herald,
25 Feb. 2026
-
People went ballistic—cursing, yelling, screaming, all kinds of threats.—
Andrew Norman Wilson,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
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
-
Extra points are awarded here to families who avoid any whining about this.—
Moira McCarthy,
Boston Herald,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Recognize signs of hypothermia The signs of hypothermia in pets are whining, shivering, anxiety, slowing down, or looking for a warm place to burrow.—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
While Slot was moaning about having to play two away matches in four days (and about missing a couple of key players), Emery, also without important figures such as Boubacar Kamara, was overseeing his Villa side playing the same tough schedule and win both games without conceding a goal.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
-
While lying on the pavement, he could be heard moaning as an officer shouted at him not to move.—
Jose R. Gonzalez,
AZCentral.com,
13 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Keening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/keening. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
