MOANING Synonyms: 202 Similar and Opposite Words

moaning 1 of 2

adjective

as in crying

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Dissimilar Words

moaning

2 of 2

verb

present participle of moan

as in groaning

to utter a moan he moaned and cried for days after his dog, his only companion, died

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in complaining

to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely their son moaned whenever anyone asked him to do some work

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 moaning

Verb

Swinging his hips, moaning into the mic and briefly getting promiscuous with a mic stand was the authenticity that the majority-millennial crowd expected. — Sophie Lindberg july 11, Kansas City Star, 12 July 2026 Federal officers stand over a man with a bloody shirt who is handcuffed face down, moaning in pain as his left foot shakes. — Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026 Three other men appeared to be detained as Salgado Araujo lay moaning on the ground, according to his son, who said one of them was his uncle and that no one has heard from them since. — ABC News, 8 July 2026 The process left Carruthers bleeding and moaning on May 21, according to the witness, Maria DeLiberato, senior counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union's Capital Punishment Project. — Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 28 May 2026 The stuff with a load of people wearing wigs moaning about taxes just isn’t seen as very glamorous. — Sean Woods, Rolling Stone, 25 May 2026 There are kerfuffles down at the hardware store, and a moaning moose makes his presence known near the motel where Ulysses is staying. — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 17 Apr. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for moaning

Adjective

Some in the pro-crying camp pointed to articles and headlines as proof.

— Jon Sarlin, CNN Money, 11 July 2026

Definition of crying

Verb

Soon Massachusetts society was groaning under the burden of these hordes of foreign freeloaders.

— Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 7 July 2026
Despite the lack of goals, the game was exciting with end-to-end runs and missed chances that left fans of both teams groaning and burying their heads in their hands.

— Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 1 July 2026

Definition of groaning

Verb

Rodriguez said in a May phone interview with the Herald that detainees had been complaining when a guard approached him and told him to walk out of the cage where he and other men were housed.

— Churchill Ndonwie, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 July 2026
These reviews are overall mixed with positive reviews praising USGB’s customer service and negative ones complaining about frequent marketing calls.

— Javier Simon, USA Today, 11 July 2026

Definition of complaining

Adjective

Either that, or the Daily Mail editors had a howling good time with publication dates.

— Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2026
In the elk- and deer-rich areas of northern Yellowstone National Park, ravens are often among the first scavengers to arrive on the scene, swooping down to feast on scraps left behind by the howling canines.

— Nidhi Sharma, Popular Science, 12 Mar. 2026

Definition of howling

Verb

Amber is then seen in bodycam footage sobbing as she is told by police that somebody in the house was dead.

— Nicole Acosta, PEOPLE, 7 July 2026
The coffin was unveiled late on Thursday to a throng of sobbing supporters, who were swaying and beating their heads in time to a sung lament as flowers were thrown from the bier into the crowd.

— Reuters, USA Today, 4 July 2026

Definition of sobbing

Adjective

Last year, researchers at Harvard University and Baylor University discovered that, on average, young adults aged between 18 to 29 are deeply unhappy.

— Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 9 July 2026
Licensed cannabis operators in states that have legalized marijuana tend to support the ban—they’re unhappy that hemp intoxicants face far less regulation and taxation than their products.

— Peter Su, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

Definition of unhappy

Browse Nearby Words

moaners

moaning

moans

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Style

“Moaning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moaning. Accessed 16 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of moaning

adjective

verb

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