WAILING (FOR) Synonyms: 31 Similar and Opposite Words

wailing (for)

verb

present participle of wail (for)

as in mourning

to feel or express sorrow for her grandfather asked her not to wail for him, saying that he had had a good life and was at peace

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wailing (for)

Verb

This memory of the body’s muscle enacted in the gesture of cutting, moved from anger to mindfulness to mourning for all that was lost in that claiming of art.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026
Yet as black became a defining color of modern fashion, most famously through Gabrielle Chanel’s little black dress of 1926, its association with mourning gradually loosened.

— Livia Caligor, Vogue, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of mourning

Verb

Next up is a house tour, from the cavernous, all-white living room to a glimpse of the ornate indoor pool, with V lamenting that the place is so huge he sometimes gets lost.

— Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 15 Oct. 2026
Last week, Gia posted a TikTok lamenting the less glamorous side of WAG life, namely that roster moves keep taking all her friends away.

— Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of lamenting

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.

Browse Nearby Words

wailing

wailing (for)

wails

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Wailing (for).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wailing%20%28for%29. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of wailing (for)

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

emissary

Popular in Grammar & Usage

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

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 23

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

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

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes