as in weeping
expressing or suggesting mourning
a wailing quality in her voice that makes her a natural for country music
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in screaming
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely
the state's residents are always wailing about their high taxes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in howling
to make a long loud mournful sound
the women stood beside the coffins, wailing for their fallen sons and daughters
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in moaning
to utter a moan
the patient lay in her bed, occasionally softly wailing in pain
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 wailing
Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 18 Sep. 2025
Karaoke on Ambience mainly consists of elderly monk-like men croaking out album tracks by Black Sabbath, and grey haired women wailing out ABBA songs.
—David Greig
september 15, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2025
The group sang Christian religious hymns accompanied by a wailing violin, cello and an acoustic guitar.
—Laura Gersony, AZCentral.com, 10 Sep. 2025
And throughout a 100-minute show, Cain recounted the story of a preacher’s daughter through wailing vocals, haunting drones, and meditative, languorous chants.
—Audrey Gibbs, Nashville Tennessean, 3 Sep. 2025
For the song’s second half, Alabama Shakes follow a thumping bridge into an extended psych-soul outro, Howard’s voice and the guitars wailing in the same anguished register.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 29 Aug. 2025
From Callahan’s baritone vocals to the wailing electric guitar and spritely fiddle, everything is loud and clear.
—Mark Knapp, PC Magazine, 25 Aug. 2025
And then there may be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
—Peter J Reilly, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2025
After defeating Bliss in a championship match, Charlotte Flair brutally and methodically ripped the Lilly doll to shreds in the middle of the ring, leaving a distraught Bliss wailing over the remains.
—Andrew Ravens, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Aug. 2025
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
Verb
Rather than atop fire station roofs, sirens would be placed along areas prone to flash flooding that have both tone and voice capacity, Brissie said, allowing officials to broadcast a wailing alarm or spoken instructions.
—Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 18 Sep. 2025
Karaoke on Ambience mainly consists of elderly monk-like men croaking out album tracks by Black Sabbath, and grey haired women wailing out ABBA songs.
—David Greig
september 15, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2025
The group sang Christian religious hymns accompanied by a wailing violin, cello and an acoustic guitar.
—Laura Gersony, AZCentral.com, 10 Sep. 2025
And throughout a 100-minute show, Cain recounted the story of a preacher’s daughter through wailing vocals, haunting drones, and meditative, languorous chants.
—Audrey Gibbs, Nashville Tennessean, 3 Sep. 2025
For the song’s second half, Alabama Shakes follow a thumping bridge into an extended psych-soul outro, Howard’s voice and the guitars wailing in the same anguished register.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 29 Aug. 2025
From Callahan’s baritone vocals to the wailing electric guitar and spritely fiddle, everything is loud and clear.
—Mark Knapp, PC Magazine, 25 Aug. 2025
And then there may be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
—Peter J Reilly, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2025
After defeating Bliss in a championship match, Charlotte Flair brutally and methodically ripped the Lilly doll to shreds in the middle of the ring, leaving a distraught Bliss wailing over the remains.
—Andrew Ravens, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wailing
Adjective
-
And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.—
David Mamet,
National Review,
11 Aug. 2022
-
The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Verb
-
According to the Union Parish Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched in November to a residence in the Linville community of Marion after a caller reported a neighbor standing in their driveway screaming and refusing to leave the property despite having been warned previously.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Avid viewers of The Studio will appreciate the callback to a watershed episode this season when Ice Cube, as himself, uttered the same to a room filled with screaming fans, causing a fresh headache for Seth Rogen’s backlot boss Matt Remick.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In celebration, the pair could be seen quite literally howling at the moon with cocktails in hand — sans pants, of course.—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
5 Nov. 2025
-
As the season shifts toward winter, the polar jet stream begins to shift south and can stir up storms that produce howling winds and gigantic waves in November on the Great Lakes.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
There’s something moaning in the background.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
10 Oct. 2025
-
The deputies ultimately roll him over before putting on handcuffs as Mull can be heard moaning in pain.—
Nathaniel Percy,
Oc Register,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
This internal struggle is portrayed with raw honesty, focusing on the darker, mournful corners of humanity that inspired the record’s lyrics.—
Robert Lang,
Deadline,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Other tracks channel the mournful energy of the most political ’70s dub.—
Andrew Ryce,
Pitchfork,
22 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
But Frederica Wilson, a Democratic congresswoman from South Florida, vividly remembers her constituents complaining about one Facebook ad in particular.—
David Smiley,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
-
About 20% of fire department employees responded to the survey, with large majorities of those respondents complaining about discrimination, diversity and inclusion programs and a wide range of organizational issues.—
Aaron Valdez,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
But the landscapes are sublime—rugged peaks, green pastures, glaciers groaning on high—and few destinations make accessing such terrain so easy.—
Lucy Kehoe,
AFAR Media,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Jones was groaning, and the witness then heard the male subject, who was wearing a blue hooded track suit with his hood over his head, leaning over Jones.—
Chris Ramirez,
jsonline.com,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The page so far has raised over $30,000 in donations, with a goal of $35,000 to cover funeral costs and to support Kaleigh and Christopher’s four children.—
Escher Walcott,
PEOPLE,
6 Jan. 2026
-
The Avila family has also started a GoFundMe to help pay for the funeral and medical bills for Perla.—
Rebecca White,
New York Daily News,
4 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wailing. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share