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

But their complaints come as Lecornu's government seeks to rein in public spending to appease skittish bond markets, which have punished France more harshly than many of its peers this year, amid a global bond market rout.

— Jenni Reid, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
In a criminal complaint, prosecutors accused Zhang of spying on a son of Taiwan’s president outside his residence in the Seattle area at the behest of Chinese officials.

— David Douglas, NBC news, 8 Oct. 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
No wet plop of a SpongeBob ice cream bar crashing onto hot asphalt; a child’s apocalyptic wails ensuing.

— Allyson Reedy, Denver Post, 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

Messi added a fitting score — his 126th career goal for Argentina on a penalty kick in the 70th minute to set off collective chanting of the beloved icon’s name and more tears.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2026
In the other van, Gen cries tears of pride and fulfillment after Aesha and Nathan praise her performance in the last charter.

— Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of tears

Noun

This specific scenario is still hypothetical, but in general, mapmakers using their powers to litigate factional and personal grievances isn’t hard to imagine.

— Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026
Following the ruling, Benson drowns her sorrows over cocktails with Sharpe, and, in a revealing, impeccably acted scene, airs out her grievances about her job.

— Marlow Stern, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of grievance

Noun

Over cries of foul from those who came in person, the board’s attorney Shayla Myers announced the meeting was canceled because the Zoom channel had a capacity of only 1,000.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026
Angry but empathetic, frank in its darkness but refusing to wallow in it, Tip Toe is a cry of frustration that cuts right to the heart.

— Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of cry

Noun

Caroline Wahl concluded her statement with the wistful lament that all she was left with now was her double one—referring to her two new books heading the Spiegel Bestseller List.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2026
Today, now that Silicon Valley’s nerd Prometheis have graduated from getting revenge on Rooney Mara to threatening the future of the human race, the kids are back for a more existential lament.

— David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 6 Oct. 2026