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
-
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 -
An ambulance siren wails past, coming up from the river.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
Gimme Credit also complains that a run of acquisitions in both food and beverages have added $5 billion to PepsiCo’s debt in just the first half of 2025.—
Phil Wahba,
Fortune,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Well, a University of Texas at Arlington researcher is aiming to turn barks, howls and whimpers of man’s best friend into intelligible speech — a kind of Rosetta Stone of woof.—
Miriam Fauzia,
Boston Herald,
12 Oct. 2025
-
The ugly episode drew howls from those lawmakers in both parties who are calling to tone down the hostilities and focus on legislating, not seeking attention on social media.—
Mike Lillis,
The Hill,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Crybaby is another Pop Mart favorite, easily recognizable by its big eyes, puffy cheeks, and of course, stream of tears.—
Katie Decker-Jacoby,
StyleCaster,
16 Oct. 2025
-
The rest of them gathered right beneath the trap, reaching up with pudgy arms and the tiniest fingers, eyes suddenly dripping tears.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Rising screams at Johnson on the sideline, delivering a stiff bro-hug with a smile.—
Brian Hamilton,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Police said the officers encountered Billings prior to hearing screams at the park.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
Soon, audible groans could be heard on the recording.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
While many messages and cries against the administration were shared, the common thread of the protest was people coming together to show America's strength and the power of the people.—
Olivia Evans,
Louisville Courier Journal,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Her soft sobs erupted into cries that filled the room.—
Faith Karimi,
CNN Money,
18 Oct. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Keens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/keens. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share