PLAINT Synonyms: 72 Similar and Opposite Words

plaint

noun

ˈplānt

Definition of plaint

as in lamentation

a crying out in grief the day after the massacre the plaints of bereaved mothers and wives could be heard throughout the village

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in complaint

an expression of dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment that taxes are too high is perhaps the most perennial of plaints

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 plaint Like Emanuel and his comrades, Harper and his film go a meaningful way in asking and offering an answer to that plaint. — Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 27 Jan. 2026 Gay’s plaint is a variation of the good speakers are born belief. — Jerry Weissman, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025 This wry, lovelorn plaint is a cagey display of subtle dynamics and counterpoint on a lone electric guitar. — Jon Pareles, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for plaint

Noun

Ḥusayn’s death became for the Shiʿah a symbol of selfless resistance against worldly injustice and tyranny and is commemorated with lamentation each year on Ashura.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 July 2026
Moments of humor sit alongside lamentation and ritual intensity, underscoring the exhibition’s refusal of a single, fixed reading.

— George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 20 Apr. 2026

Definition of lamentation

Noun

Davis’s letter follows a separate ethics complaint filed by a conservative watchdog group to the Senate Select Committee on Ethics over Slotkin’s University of Chicago remarks, first reported by the Washington Examiner on Tuesday.

— Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 22 Oct. 2026
According to the complaint, an internal review found that just five brokers controlled 6,345 Ticketmaster accounts holding 246,407 tickets.

— James LaForge, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of complaint

Noun

When the sun goes down, the wind picks up in central New Mexico, whipping through arid canyons with a ghostly howl that for centuries, locals have likened to the wails of the folkloric ghost La Llorona.

— Sara Herschander, Vox, 22 Oct. 2026
Feverish with feeling, the women scream, wail and sob, each one experiencing her misery multiply in real time as the remaining two look on in disdain.

— Natalia Winkelman, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of wail

Noun

Our Chesapeake Bay Retriever dog saw them too and enthusiastically let out a small whine.

— Kody Lostroh, Denver Post, 5 Oct. 2026
The mystic whine of Christine Ott and Mathieu Gabry’s score carries us into a hidden world of ancient Thai deities living inside the mountain’s caves and tunnels.

— Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of whine

Noun

The nationwide marches were meant to reflect broader dissatisfaction with the French government, with protesters taking to the streets to air a range of different grievances.

— James Cirrone , Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
Ontide management reported that worker turnover attributable to harassment and unresolved grievances had declined substantially; however, the report did not provide figures to quantify that change.

— Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of grievance

Noun

As much an acknowledgment of survival as a rallying cry, the song draws out sadness as well as satisfaction from the audience.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
Her friend’s cries mixed with the sound of police car sirens before officers arrived and escorted students and staff out the building.

— Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of cry

Noun

The child studying English was met with loving lament, while the one pursuing computer science at Stanford University was the flag post of family pride.

— Kamau Bobb October 21, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026
Prompted by Nan’s lament about their father’s empty casket and his own desire for posthumous reconciliation, Jay sets out to find his dad’s underwater remains near the edge of the canyon at Monastery Beach.

— Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2026