keening 1 of 2

adjective

as in wailing

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keening

2 of 2

verb

present participle of keen
1
as in complaining
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely victims of the disaster have been keening for weeks about the slowness of governmental aid

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in howling
to make a long loud mournful sound mourners keening for the victims of the bombing

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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 keening
Adjective
White’s lyrics are bittersweet pinpricks, his keening vocals already in mourning of childhood’s end—of responsibility, of bathing yourself, in so many words, knowledge of death. — Ryan Meehan, Pitchfork, 26 Oct. 2026 Languid piano tunes give way to surging, keening tides of strings. — Tim Greiving, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026 The memoir shows little interest in the gambler’s psychology or the keening dramas of the floor. — Dan Piepenbring, New Yorker, 4 Feb. 2026 This sequence, with its onstage vengeance, despair and keening dialogue, and its offstage look at how Kikuo’s triumph affects the two people closest to him, is one of the most powerful in the movie. — Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 29 Oct. 2025 But Dunne’s voice, lilting and keening, is rich with empathy. — Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for keening
  1. wailing
  2. complaining
  3. howling
  4. crying
  5. screaming
  6. weeping
  7. whining
  8. sentimental
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
Definition of wailing
Verb
  • That March, a seventy-year-old patient from a wealthy Cypriot family, Evie Lanitis, arrived at BioMed, complaining of a host of minor maladies, including bursitis in her toes, dental pain, and digestive issues.
    — D. T. Max, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
  • This was the first opportunity, Ubovic said, to do something tangible, instead of just complaining.
    — Chris Massaro, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of complaining
Verb
  • But that’s what has been proposed here even as the sane heads in the City Council and beyond have been howling for, and shown the way toward, efficiencies.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The living room and bedrooms faced 96th, a crosstown corridor over which ambulances and police cars sped day and night, their sirens howling.
    — Via Scribner, Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of howling
Adjective
  • Some in the pro-crying camp pointed to articles and headlines as proof.
    — Jon Sarlin, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
Definition of crying
Verb
  • Warren joked, as several audience members had been screaming to hear his hit during his set.
    — Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Four pledges at a Texas State University fraternity were arrested on Tuesday after an 18-year-old was allegedly forced into a pickup truck and heard screaming, according to police.
    — Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of screaming
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
  • While the left spent all week whining about Sophie Cunningham's hat and firing squad best practices, us PATRIOTS were biding our time, keeping our heads down, and grinding towards another weekend.
    — Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Dogs may actually improve our sleep habits by forcing us to adjust to consistent bedtime schedules — as anyone with a sleepy, whining dog can confirm.
    — Gina Vivinetto, NBC news, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of whining
Adjective
  • Amid all the festivities, the rapper also offered a sentimental toast.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Meanwhile, the audience will wonder if the sentimental pummeling will ever end.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of sentimental

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keened
keening
keenly
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Cite this Entry

“Keening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/keening. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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