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 of pain were audible on TV broadcasts as medics tended to her before a helicopter finally carried her away.—
Becky Sullivan,
NPR,
6 May 2026 -
Within moments, a smoke detector wails.—
Cyrus Farivar,
ArsTechnica,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
Anushka complains about the agreement that asks users to accept 97 pages of terms and conditions in 7-point font, but these guys don’t even see themselves as car manufacturers.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
10 May 2026
-
Nobody visiting a nuclear facility complains about the onerous security features.—
Juliette Kayyem,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Foxes use a variety of calls, including barks, howls, yaps, and growls.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Each dish and recipe howls with a common sense of place.—
Scott Hocker,
TheWeek,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The experience of finally achieving her dream of attending Howard and graduating with her son has moved Carla to tears.—
David Chiu,
PEOPLE,
11 May 2026
-
Their ability to command a room is still evident decades later, as the cast sits onstage listening, and much of the audience is in tears by the end of the number.—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
With Chapman, the issue screams at you louder than the thumping, center field speakers in Chavez Ravine.—
Andrew Baggarly,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
-
One morning in 2013, before the sun had risen, Hiba and Ibrahim heard gunshots and screams.—
Annie Hylton,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
When Tel received the ball in his own half a couple of minutes later and lost it carelessly, there were a few groans from the home fans.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
-
The groans that have become standard in home playoff games in recent years kicked in quickly.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
The Freight House building creaks and moans underfoot, and passing trains produce little more than a subtle hum.—
Nicole Letts,
Southern Living,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Back in the car, Albert moans and groans while Billie shrieks in panic.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The trail eventually tilts back down toward the city, where car honks and train horns replace the cries of birds and insects.—
John Metcalfe,
Mercury News,
4 May 2026
-
If recent history repeats, new cries could come from the crowd, too.—
Josh Gross,
Daily News,
2 May 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Keens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/keens. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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