as in crying
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or snivelling
as in whimpering
to complain or cry in an annoying way
The child sniveled until he got his way.
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Recent Examples of sniveling
Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 23 Mar. 2026
Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 7 Apr. 2026
Faced with the sniveling sum of these failures, Garfield is startled but compassionate.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
Throughout many revealing conversations, the braggadocious zeal of Poseidon and Zeus, the sexy aloofness of Aphrodite and Dionysus, and the sniveling bitchery of Hermes and Hypnos were endearing, but all gave way to flawed people who grew deeply over time.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2025
In the show, Cooke plays the regal Alicent Hightower and Glynn-Carney is her sniveling son, King Aegon Targaryen.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025
Played by a sniveling Casey Siemaszko, Billy is spineless and spiteful.
—Sezin Devi Koehler September 1, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Noun
Bruce Springsteen was speaking truth to power when the titans of industry were caving and sniveling.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 23 Mar. 2026
Verb
But Flynn also oozes sniveling self-righteousness while hotly defending and petitioning for childhood innocence (amusing hints emerge that the daughter is a somewhat lazy and dim underachiever).
—Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 7 Apr. 2026
Faced with the sniveling sum of these failures, Garfield is startled but compassionate.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
Throughout many revealing conversations, the braggadocious zeal of Poseidon and Zeus, the sexy aloofness of Aphrodite and Dionysus, and the sniveling bitchery of Hermes and Hypnos were endearing, but all gave way to flawed people who grew deeply over time.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2025
In the show, Cooke plays the regal Alicent Hightower and Glynn-Carney is her sniveling son, King Aegon Targaryen.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025
Played by a sniveling Casey Siemaszko, Billy is spineless and spiteful.
—Sezin Devi Koehler September 1, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sniveling
Adjective
-
But his crying scene in Ford v Ferrari is one for the ages.—
Michael Granberry,
Dallas News,
17 Jan. 2020
Noun
-
In the hands of the six-piece band, the shivering chords of that miniature apocalyptic soul song build into a cathartic climax, which Wasner punctuates with weeping slide guitar.—
Mitch Therieau,
Pitchfork,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Quiet weeping, dropped jaws, fervent applause and the occasional attendee literally vibrating with excitement.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
As the timer passed seven minutes, Steve Eckert exhorted a whimpering young man to dunk his head underwater.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
In a large tent, veterinarians and volunteers work together to place an IV into the leg of a small, whimpering puppy.—
Tavleen Tarrant,
NBC news,
28 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Homeland Security posted the original image of Armstrong’s arrest with another image being posted shortly after from the White House showing her sobbing.—
Tevon Blair,
Essence,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Then, in the first quarter, Haliburton fell to the court just beyond the three, banging his fist and sobbing.—
Leah Asmelash,
CNN Money,
20 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
For the puppy, leaving its mother and littermates can be stressful at first, and crying or whining is normal.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Or get ready for a lot of groaning and whining.—
Keely Doll,
Louisville Courier Journal,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Sitting opposite an old people’s home in a residential corner of Paris’ 14th arrondissement, La Santé’s unassuming presence is only given away by the occasional wailing siren as prisoners are transported to and from the site.—
Joseph Ataman,
CNN Money,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Welsh has a distinct desire to stay away from sappy and sentimental, too tidy for such a messy story.—
Courtney Crowder,
USA Today,
10 Apr. 2026
-
In April, don’t miss the rollout of Mother’s Day cards, from funny and quirky to sweet and sentimental.—
Abigail Wilt,
Southern Living,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Then coughing, sniffling and full-on congestion, with or without fever, for a few insufferable days.—
Mary J. Scourboutakos,
The Conversation,
14 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sniveling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sniveling. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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