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
-
There have been 72 police reports filed in the past three months alone, complaining that mailed checks have been stolen and washed by criminals who are cashing them for tens of thousands of dollars.—
J.D. Miles,
CBS News,
8 May 2026
-
While there are some athletes complaining about representing the United States on a global stage, the hockey players have embraced being proud of wearing the red, white and blue.—
Dan Zaksheske OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
By the fourth quarter, this game was over, leaving it to Kennard to send the crowd howling into the night by supplying three fourth-quarter treys on three attempts and making a Game 1 MVP out of Rob Pelinka.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Apr. 2026
-
Elsewhere, Paula Rego’s two self portraits from 2017 show the artist howling through expressive pastel strokes.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But his crying scene in Ford v Ferrari is one for the ages.—
Michael Granberry,
Dallas News,
17 Jan. 2020
Verb
-
On the night that everything changed, one of them would end the night screaming, and the other, in my opinion, didn't scream enough.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
11 May 2026
-
Dramatic doorbell camera video shows the moment the man ran out of her home, and Cooper can be heard screaming in the background.—
Tara Lynch,
CBS News,
11 May 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
-
Last week, the whining noise of unmanned flying objects could be heard in the city of Moscow once again.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
11 May 2026
-
Luke's demise and Boyega's whining about the Black stormtrooper weren't the only reasons Disney's three movies failed.—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
But a male voice could be heard moaning in the background.—
Tim Stelloh,
NBC news,
3 Apr. 2026
-
One minute later, Pedro Neto was yellow-carded for moaning.—
Matt Slater,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Keening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/keening. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
