wailing 1 of 2

wailing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of wail
1
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

Example Sentences

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
  • The name Wolf Moon comes from the sound of wolves howling during this season, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac.
    Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 27 Dec. 2024
  • This includes destructive behavior such as chewing and destroying furniture as well as things like howling and barking.
    Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Prospective Xbox players can hear the final version of the haunting, mournful Atlamaha-ha piece in EW’s exclusive reveal of a live-action music video shot for South of Midnight.
    Nick Romano, EW.com, 6 Mar. 2025
  • In the mournful mid-section, keyboardist Rick Wakeman channels Bach on the pipe organ, recorded at a London church.
    Ernesto Lechner, Rolling Stone, 6 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • The Buccaneers started complaining to the officials about fouls.
    CJ Moore, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025
  • That first-round pick became Merriman (although, the Giants aren't complaining).
    Ryan Morik, Fox News, 8 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Now the family is grappling with funeral arrangements for the young woman.
    John Annese, New York Daily News, 2 Mar. 2025
  • Their son Donny attended to all of the funeral arrangements with the help of his wife Jan, a nurse, and his daughters Andrea and Alicia.
    Phil Potempa, Chicago Tribune, 8 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • The whining about everyone else didn’t help, either.
    Brian Moylan, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2024
  • Stop whining and thank your lucky stars for having a job.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • The record for the shortest Oscar-winning performance goes to Beatrice Straight, who played the heartbroken wife of a philandering TV station president in Sidney Lumet’s 1976 film Network.
    Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 2 Mar. 2025
  • Listen to this article Skokie restaurateurs were left heartbroken on Valentine’s Day when a broken water main disaster in northeastern Skokie left the village without drinkable tap water from Feb. 14 through 16.
    Richard Requena, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2025
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Wailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wailing. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.

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