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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in whines

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

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

Asadi-Moghaddam and Seneker do not have any discipline cases or public complaints against them, according to their license verification pages on the Florida Department of Health website.

— Zoey Thomas, Sun Sentinel, 29 Oct. 2026
Within hours, complaints began appearing online from people who said their new phones developed cracks along the folding display.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of complaints

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
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 wails

Noun

And with this no longer just being a student movement, as trade unions and Yellow Vests join in, voicing grievances over the cost of living and calling on Macron to go, the anger is unlikely to subside anytime soon.

— Saskya Vandoorne, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2026
For most, the choice then narrows to either carrying one’s grievances to the grave or mustering the courage and resolve to defect.

— Jieun Baek, Foreign Affairs, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of grievances

Noun

Salman burst into tears on hearing the verdict, as did one of her relatives in the front row.

— ABC News, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026
Fort Worth police Officer Buddy Calzada read a letter from Everman Mayor Ray Richardson, who stood in the audience in light blue with tears on his cheeks.

— Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of tears

Noun

The other main track of Diamanda’s career is her interpretations of old standards, Gospel songs, laments, and folk tunes.

— Matt Thompson, SPIN, 21 Aug. 2026
Her laments are now laced with fury, as genocidal wars and murderous technologies join global warming in the twenty-first century’s third decade.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 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.

Cite this Entry

Style

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

Copy Citation

Synonyms of plaints

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

candidate

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 SCRABBLE Dictionary

Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes