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

The final result was visually awkward and earned so many complaints on social media that McLendon-Covey even weighed in at the time.

— Zack Sharf, Variety, 23 Sep. 2026
The initial complaint, filed in May 2025, also included false imprisonment and conversion as causes of action, which are not included in the latest complaint.

— Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of complaint

Noun

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
Geddy Lee, Rush No bassist’s singing voice has ever created a more pronounced contrast with his instrument than Rush’s Geddy Lee, who moved the piercing wail of influences like Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant up another octave.

— Al Shipley, SPIN, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of wail

Noun

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
Meanwhile, turbo noise fills the cabin alongside the odd electric motor whine.

— Matthew MacConnell, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026

Definition of whine

Noun

Seated in a wheelchair, he was quickly wheeled out of the courtroom after the sentencing, while some of his accusers hugged and brushed away tears.

— Michael R. Sisak, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026
The night also featured some tears, surprise cameos, the reveal of a rehearsal injury for one pro dancer and a new change implented at the judges' panel.

— Liza Esquibias, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of tears

Noun

Kaepernick said that amid his collusion grievance, the NFL approached him and teammate Eric Reid, who knelt with him, about becoming faces of a new social justice campaign.

— Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 26 Sep. 2026
But McIlrath’s actions were ultimately a secondary grievance.

— Cristian Farias, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of grievance

Noun

Williams intermittently cuts to ominous exterior shots of a dark church and layers in a score of hymnal lament.

— Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 15 Sep. 2026
That ambiguity is echoed in Banks’ score, which takes on the tone of a lament and a celebration, frustration and hope, struggle and liberation, the quest for transcendence in the face of the challenges posed by daunting inequities.

— George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026