as in weeping
expressing or suggesting mourning
a wailing quality in her voice that makes her a natural for country music
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wailing
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
At 0748, warning alert sirens began wailing across the CBD.
—Literary Hub, 7 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
Verb
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
At 0748, warning alert sirens began wailing across the CBD.
—Literary Hub, 7 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
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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
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The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Verb
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A couple climbed through a sunroof to rescue a 22-month-old screaming child left alone in a hot car, Massachusetts police said.—
Paloma Chavez,
Miami Herald,
4 Sep. 2025
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Kristen raced to the school and found a cop waiting for her as well as firetrucks and an ambulance, where her son was inside screaming.—
Wendy Grossman Kantor,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Siberian huskies are naturally vocal dogs, and howling like in the video is a normal part of their behavior.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Sep. 2025
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The verse resumes, and the band soldiers on, Lenker’s perseverant guitar solo howling with the weary relief of a shipwrecked sailor spotting land.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Ellis could be heard moaning and could be seen lying on the ground.—
Elena Santa Cruz,
AZCentral.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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The patient is actually a training dummy that instructors can manipulate into yelling, moaning, retching, suffering blood pressure spikes, heart attacks and other medical emergencies.—
Beth Warren,
The Tennessean,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Similarly, the discreetly mournful compositions of Giorgio Matteo and Aki Oliviero’s score hover politely on the periphery of the (in)action, careful not to intrude.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
4 Sep. 2025
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His narration is a constant pleasure — mournful, wry, and suffused with a world-weary poetry.—
Leila Latif,
IndieWire,
31 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Nah — not very long later, Tony is referencing his Bond obsession, complaining about the generic name of the secret drone-control computer program everyone is battling for here.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
4 Sep. 2025
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But everybody was complaining and asking for a hot one.—
Andy Wang,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Her family is raising money to cover funeral expenses.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
10 Sep. 2025
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Following the boy’s death, donors raised about $30,000 in a GoFundMe campaign launched to help with funeral expenses.—
Christy Gutowski,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In lesser hands, such a question, especially from a young white male who plays guitar for a living, could come off as whining.—
Joseph Hudak,
Rolling Stone,
5 Sep. 2025
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And since then, his crying and whining have increased.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wailing. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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