PLAINTS Synonyms: 65 Similar and Opposite Words

plaints

noun

plural of plaint

as in lamentations

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

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as in whines

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

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for plaints

Noun

These rock lamentations will not be carried over to the full-length album the band still has in the works, which Bono promises will have a more joyful tone.

— Chris Willman, Variety, 18 Feb. 2026
The album’s Bandcamp blurb shouts out Ghédalia Tarzatès, the late French composer who collaged his wails and lamentations in the endangered Ladino language to evoke pangs of existential angst.

— H.D. Angel, Pitchfork, 6 Feb. 2026

Definition of lamentations

Noun

Mourners beat their chests rhythmically in the intense summer heat, the wails of women cutting through the noise as the body of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was unveiled beneath a glass case at the Grand Mosalla.

— Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 4 July 2026
After a second of consideration, Naim slams the grate shut to the monster’s wails, and the audience’s relief.

— Arushi Jacob, Variety, 19 June 2026

Definition of wails

Noun

The pledge taps into longstanding grievances against a British government that remains strongly centered in London, leaving some voters feeling overlooked and left behind.

— Katie Marie Davies, Christian Science Monitor, 29 July 2026
In each case, a single incident acted not as the sole cause of the unrest, but as the spark that brought existing grievances into the open.

— Šumit Ganguly, NPR, 27 July 2026

Definition of grievances

Noun

The primary players expected to miss the start of preseason camp next week are recovering from ACL tears, not soft-tissue injuries.

— Pete Sampson, New York Times, 31 July 2026
The term was coined in 1981 based on the cases of four elderly women in Wisconsin who, like the man, had severe destruction of their shoulder joints and massive tears to their rotator cuffs.

— Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 31 July 2026

Definition of tears

Noun

In the decades after his death, Johnson’s loose playing and harrowing moans set American music on a path that would encompass Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan, even Nas.

— Steven Johnson, Washington Post, 14 July 2026
Sweet tweets, soft moans, the distant caw of a shore bird piloting toward the sea, spirited and hopeful, daylight already breaking through.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 July 2026

Definition of moans

Noun

Martin was then immediately handcuffed and arrested as the little girl’s cries were heard from inside the car.

— Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 2 Aug. 2026
The cries of seagulls, water lapping against the boat, the rumble of engines and the arrival of speedboats ferrying cast and crew give the sense of sharing the actors’ long waits on the open water.

— Michelle F. Solomon, Miami Herald, 29 July 2026

Definition of cries

Noun

Chattel slavery, in all its brutality, Sojourner laments, could not just be forgotten; African Americans needed to be compensated for centuries of hardship.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 July 2026
Fines aren’t the answer to the EU’s laments, but better third parties are.

— John Tamny, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026

Definition of laments

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.

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“Plaints.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plaints. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

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noun

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