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
Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
James Wood, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
After Thursday’s storms sent tornado sirens wailing across the metro, forecasters expect a quiet Friday before a potentially more dangerous round of severe weather Sunday into Monday.
—Ian Cummings, Kansas City Star, 24 Apr. 2026
Subjecting them, and us, to a series of repetitive wailing sequences blunts any potential emotional sharpness.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 27 Mar. 2026
The fever dream continued with Howard wailing on guitar and vocals, the production morphing into a beautiful stew of blues rock and given an exclamation point – and a standing ovation – with Copeland spinning out of the shadows.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 16 Mar. 2026
Israel’s technology system warns Israelis with mobile phone messages and wailing public alarms that provide an advanced notice of incoming Iranian missiles and drones.
—Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 13 Mar. 2026
For five days, Nelsie Yang worried over the fate of her father’s younger brother, a beloved uncle removed from his home by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the presence of his wailing children, one of whom has a genetic condition similar to Down syndrome.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 8 Mar. 2026
In Union City on Saturday, March 7, the purring and wailing of chainsaws was constant.
—Liam Rappleye, Freep.com, 7 Mar. 2026
Video obtained by The Associated Press showed the smoke with an alarm wailing, and a correspondent for French news agency AFP saw smoke rising from the diplomatic mission.
—March 2, CBS News, 2 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
Verb
And Sylvie, who still gazes with utmost tenderness at a black-and-white photograph, taken during her time abroad, of a nameless wailing Russian child, has permanently abandoned her own daughter by refusing to visit her.
—James Wood, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
After Thursday’s storms sent tornado sirens wailing across the metro, forecasters expect a quiet Friday before a potentially more dangerous round of severe weather Sunday into Monday.
—Ian Cummings, Kansas City Star, 24 Apr. 2026
Subjecting them, and us, to a series of repetitive wailing sequences blunts any potential emotional sharpness.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 27 Mar. 2026
The fever dream continued with Howard wailing on guitar and vocals, the production morphing into a beautiful stew of blues rock and given an exclamation point – and a standing ovation – with Copeland spinning out of the shadows.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 16 Mar. 2026
Israel’s technology system warns Israelis with mobile phone messages and wailing public alarms that provide an advanced notice of incoming Iranian missiles and drones.
—Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 13 Mar. 2026
For five days, Nelsie Yang worried over the fate of her father’s younger brother, a beloved uncle removed from his home by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the presence of his wailing children, one of whom has a genetic condition similar to Down syndrome.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 8 Mar. 2026
In Union City on Saturday, March 7, the purring and wailing of chainsaws was constant.
—Liam Rappleye, Freep.com, 7 Mar. 2026
Video obtained by The Associated Press showed the smoke with an alarm wailing, and a correspondent for French news agency AFP saw smoke rising from the diplomatic mission.
—March 2, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2026
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
-
Her father and cousin had come looking for her, and were screaming outside.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
19 May 2026
-
Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong let a rival fan have it during a heated, NSFW screaming match on Sunday, playing the White Sox.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
What could be a better way to blow off some grief than turning up the amps and howling out more Kimbrough deep cuts?—
Grayson Haver Currin,
Pitchfork,
7 May 2026
-
By the fourth quarter, this game was over, leaving it to Kennard to send the crowd howling into the night by supplying three fourth-quarter treys on three attempts and making a Game 1 MVP out of Rob Pelinka.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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There are kerfuffles down at the hardware store, and a moaning moose makes his presence known near the motel where Ulysses is staying.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
17 Apr. 2026
-
But a male voice could be heard moaning in the background.—
Tim Stelloh,
NBC news,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The song closes with a coda of saz and mandolin, mournful and hopeful in equal measure.—
Molly Mary O’Brien,
Pitchfork,
15 May 2026
-
The plaintive melodies are mournful yet comforting.—
Michelle F. Solomon,
Miami Herald,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
Chevron and the state have been in a tense relationship for years; Chevron moved its headquarters out of California in 2024 after complaining about state and local regulations, and is currently buying oil shipped through an offshore pipeline that California has attempted to keep shut down.—
Camila Domonoske,
NPR,
22 May 2026
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And now that the Knicks are on the road, Mamadani can get back to whatever issues the people of New York are complaining about in his comments section.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
And knitting meant clumsily looping a strand of acrylic yarn onto the tip of a bamboo needle, groaning, then handing the project to my mother for help.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Apr. 2026
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No amount of jazz playlists can stop him from glancing at his GPS, groaning as the ETA keeps getting pushed back.—
Connor Letourneau,
San Francisco Chronicle,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
His father’s funeral visitation was held during a snowstorm on February weeknight.—
Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
16 May 2026
-
Vanity Fair was on the scene as Gaga transformed an aging Los Angeles luxury mall into moving performance art, complete with funeral horns, rose petals, and hundreds of her devoted fans.—
Maxwell Adler,
Vanity Fair,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wailing. Accessed 26 May. 2026.
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