1
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
But Barham plays the role both for plaints and for boasts.
—
Jon Caramanica, New York Times, 21 May 2025
Gay’s plaint is a variation of the good speakers are born belief.
—Jerry Weissman, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025
And to be perfectly fair, the New Deal had seven or eight big years of operation (the plaints about the Supreme Court etc. blocking reforms being so many excuses).
—Brian Domitrovic, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
Goldberger's plaint is overstated.
—Michelle Goldberg, Star Tribune, 8 June 2021
Jon Caramanica, New York Times, 21 May 2025
Gay’s plaint is a variation of the good speakers are born belief.
—Jerry Weissman, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025
And to be perfectly fair, the New Deal had seven or eight big years of operation (the plaints about the Supreme Court etc. blocking reforms being so many excuses).
—Brian Domitrovic, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
Goldberger's plaint is overstated.
—Michelle Goldberg, Star Tribune, 8 June 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plaint
Noun
-
The venues shuttered in March 2020, at the onset of COVID, prompting public lamentations from filmmakers ranging from Barry Jenkins and Lulu Wang to Edgar Wright and Olivia Wilde.—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Aug. 2025
-
So this isn’t a lamentation that the Giants didn’t trade these players, per se.—
Grant Brisbee,
New York Times,
1 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The report was released as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau received record high numbers of complaints about auto loans.—
Michael Wayland,
CNBC,
13 Oct. 2025
-
The complaint cites just three examples of transgender athletes on girls’ teams in Maine, including the pole-vaulter.—
Emma Green,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Yet beneath this veneer, the wail of sirens, the hurried stamp of feet into basements and the slam of shelter doors have become just as familiar.—
Sonal Nain,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
-
John Corigliano’s First Symphony, which Gustavo Dudamel and the New York Philharmonic presented early in the new season, begins with a blistering wail of orchestral rage.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Deciphering the vocalizations involves both sound and context, as a dog’s bark or whine may be tied to its situation, Zhu said.—
Miriam Fauzia,
Boston Herald,
12 Oct. 2025
-
The unfiltered electric soundtrack of the Evija goes from a piercing whine to an ear-splitting shriek.—
Tim Pitt,
Robb Report,
6 Aug. 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
Noun
-
Demonstrations first erupted in the country on September 25 over water and power shortages and quickly escalated into an uprising over broader grievances, including corruption, bad governance and a lack of basic services.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Peaceful inmate efforts for change, including a July 2, 1971, letter detailing grievances, had gone unheeded.—
Michael Collins,
USA Today,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The couple dozed like babies in the leaves—that cry, that wail, had become their sleep trigger.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Oct. 2025
-
It’s designed to detect your baby’s cries and automatically responds by gently rocking them to white noise and motion—a win for baby, and for mom.—
Cortne Bonilla,
Vogue,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The poem ends with the hero’s burial and the laments of his followers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Oct. 2025
-
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stopped holding coordination calls on H5N1 with health providers this spring — a change Chin-Hong laments.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
9 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Plaint.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plaint. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share