as in wails
a crying out in grief
the loud keens of the widows were heard throughout the war-ravaged city
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in complains
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for keens
Noun
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So, on the night after the murder, the town’s streets were filled with anguished cries from the Inuit—wails of loss and pain.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025 -
Her wails make Davina recall her own confinement, where she was treated similarly awfully and responded by cursing the women in the room.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The president calls his wife and complains about the sole of his shoe before heading off to a girls’ basketball event with Angel Reese.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
24 Oct. 2025
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In addition, Alabama complains that the Times gave the school only four hours to respond to the story before it was published; this also coincided with the team getting ready to start the tournament.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Held in May of last year, the dinner saw walkouts and howls of dissent as Ari Emanuel tore into Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over what the super-agent saw as an overkill response to the October 7 attacks.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
30 Oct. 2025
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Wind howls as one of the daughters' body rocks on a gurney, her family lighting candles as a rabbi screams scripture with water crashing in a nearby tub.—
Michael Lee Simpson,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Despite all the potential for drama, the night was filled with dinner, hugs, a lot of memories, and minimal tears.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
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The official trailer is nearly three minutes long and is stuffed with bombastic special effects, intense emotion (a lot of tears), plenty of action and one mean Vecna.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The 2025 Maserati GranTurismo Folgore's cabin screams sports car.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
2 Nov. 2025
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Alternatively, nothing screams celebration more than a fun night out with my best friends and family.—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Yankee Stadium released exasperated groans as New York fell to Toronto’s rotating relievers and the Yankees’ bats faltered in late-inning opportunities.—
The Athletic MLB Staff,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
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Soon, audible groans could be heard on the recording.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Shannon moans right about the time Jenn walks out to see what the commotion is all about.—
Peter Larsen,
Oc Register,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The scared but resilient puppy cries as rescuers work to free her.—
Michael Nied,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
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There were cries of overreach when the Guard was deployed to stem segregationist tension in Arkansas and Alabama in the 1950s and '60s.—
Newsweek Contributors,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Keens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/keens. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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