WAILING Synonyms: 207 Similar and Opposite Words

wailing 1 of 2

adjective

as in weeping

expressing or suggesting mourning a wailing quality in her voice that makes her a natural for country music

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wailing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of wail

as in screaming

to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely the state's residents are always wailing about their high taxes

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as in howling

to make a long loud mournful sound the women stood beside the coffins, wailing for their fallen sons and daughters

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as in moaning

to utter a moan the patient lay in her bed, occasionally softly wailing in pain

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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

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

When the coroner’s deputy lifted Malachi’s body to take it away that night in October 2023, there was no wailing or sobbing from his parents. — Audrey Dutton, ProPublica, 25 Aug. 2026 This Lusitania didn’t sink as a formal band played, but the ticking of each man’s pocket watch synchronized to form a furious percussion section, and all those wailing women’s voices layered into girl-group harmonies. — Claire Carusillo, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026 Instead of wailing in agony after sampling the vengefully spiked bird, Prince fell in love with it and founded the BBQ Chicken Shack in 1945. — Ellen Fort, Bon Appetit Magazine, 31 July 2026 Added to the mix is Ian Stewart, the Stones’ longtime road manager, playing piano in boogie-woogie style, plus a wailing sax solo by Bobby Keys. — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 July 2026 My mom still talks about the 16-year-old girl in the hospital bed next to me wailing after a similar surgery. — Rebekah Taussig, Time, 7 July 2026 Lind had to do a lot of wailing upon discovering Rob-Will’s lifeless body, but the waterworks weren’t limited to just her coverage. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 7 July 2026 My little guy went from kicking the light-up piano with his tiny tootsies to sitting up and wailing away. — Melissa Willets, Parents, 1 July 2026 Those themes are compelling on paper, but they’re expressed through a confusing mix of abstraction and hyper-local specificity, hidden beneath biker rock riffs, and obscured through Allbrook’s wiry, wailing vocal delivery. — Cassidy Sollazzo, Pitchfork, 19 June 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

Definition of weeping

Verb

That screaming maximum seems like something from a motor world made increasingly distant by turbochargers, hybrid systems and electric motors.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 25 Aug. 2026
Imagine for a minute a Trojans defense with Luke Wafle, the nation’s top prospect in 2026, screaming off the edge a la the Bosa Bros at Ohio State.

— Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of screaming

Verb

Trapped in their castle by a howling rainstorm, our minifig royalty takes in a bevy of drenched animals.

— K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 21 Aug. 2026
But be prepared for long mountain views, longer mountain hikes, camping under the northern lights and singing along with howling wolves.

— Ron Spomer, Outdoor Life, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of howling

Verb

Hall wrote in his report that Hamilton lay down in the backseat of the police vehicle, moaning and not responding, prompting first responders to give him Narcan.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 14 Aug. 2026
Video released by the Milwaukie Police Department shows Descamps sprawled in a hospital bed, his body limp, moaning and drooling, while medical staff stood nearby.

— Brian Mann, NPR, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of moaning

Adjective

Whitney Houston’s powerhouse version stands alone, but Dolly’s quieter, mournful ode to her collaboration with Porter Wagoner is the artful, formative sketch to a colossal mural.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
These pauses also give the documentary an air of mournful respect, making its pace more deliberate than the standard talking heads-doc that might be mistaken as a stylistic counterpart.

— Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of mournful

Verb

The sport is now on TV every night of the week these days—and unlike some traditionalists, football-loving families aren’t complaining.

— Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 1 Sep. 2026
Even before the eighth inning on Sunday, Flemming spent a great deal of time complaining on the WEEI broadcast.

— Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of complaining

Verb

The eggs royale hit the nail on the head, although the groaning plate that passed me by with the Zetter full English did also catch my eye.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Aug. 2026
Merchant galleons coursing into the port of Caldera would be groaning with cacao, tobacco, livestock and hardwoods, transported down by mule from the transit hub of Esparza in the mountain basin above.

— Donna Hardie-Scott, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026

Definition of groaning

Adjective

The killings wiped out members from four generations, said Jennifer Mercer, a neighbor and family friend who set up an online fundraiser to help cover funeral costs and other expenses and was authorized to release the details.

— David K. Li, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2026
The Daily Mail reported that Andrew remains on a confidential government list of royal family members with funeral plans prepared in advance.

— Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026