COMPLAINING Synonyms: 85 Similar and Opposite Words

complaining 1 of 2

adjective

as in protesting

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Dissimilar Words

complaining

2 of 2

verb

present participle of complain

as in whining

to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely the time-honored tradition of new recruits complaining about the food in the mess hall

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 complaining

Adjective

An energy vampire has bad body language, the complaining look on their face, the vocal complainer. — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2026

Verb

But Chee Meng kept complaining about his shirts being misplaced, and Shawn knew that the man was still slipping out, either to look for work or for other purposes. — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026 Staff were complaining about the connection in February, Wired reported, and Transformer reported that employees confronted Lehane in a meeting in May, pushing the company to explain its relationship with LTF. — Garrison Lovely, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026 This is the lowest level since 2023, Jefferies’ Thomas Simons and Blake Birkins said in a note, and people should stop complaining! — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026 Guests begin to check in before all the rooms are ready and late deliveries, holes in the ceiling, and complaining guests threaten to derail the opening. — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2026 In eastern Syria, a man complaining about soaring fuel prices turns to the crowd recording him on their phones and addresses the country’s transitional president. — Tala Alrajjal, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2026 Early adopters of the iPhone 18 Pro models had been complaining about the issue for days. — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026 Toward the end of first grade, Najya started complaining about lunchtime chaos in the cafeteria. — Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 28 Sep. 2026 An English tourist has gone viral for complaining about the concessions… at a Holocaust concentration camp. — Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 25 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for complaining

Adjective

The death toll includes at least 19 children, 21 non-protesting civilians, and 165 in government or security forces.

— The Hill, The Hill, 17 Jan. 2026
Among the dead were 13 children and 14 non-protesting civilians, HRANA said.

— ABC News, ABC News, 15 Jan. 2026

Definition of protesting

Verb

In reviewing the body camera footage, police found that the child was standing on the stairwell at one point and was screaming while holding her left arm up in the air, according to the warrant affidavit.

— Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 4 Oct. 2026
Mahomes’ emotion seemed to bubble over in the second quarter, with CBS cameras catching the quarterback screaming at offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of screaming

Verb

At the same time, Plog placed a phone call to a relative and can be heard moaning and screaming in pain.

— Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 18 Sep. 2026
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

Definition of moaning

Verb

Max Muncy, whose home run expanded the Dodgers’ lead, was still muttering about the heat nearly 15 minutes after escaping into air conditioning.

— Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
When John finally reunites with Hal (who charges the ring against the lantern while quickly muttering his oath), the frustrated protégé immediately confronts his teacher with all the suspicions he was meant to keep secret.

— Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of muttering

Verb

Know More Waters is one of a number of senior members of Congress that fellow Democrats are grumbling about in private for being delinquent on their dues to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

— Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Hollywood is filled with book-to-screen adaptations that have ignited grumbling and spirited debates.

— Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of grumbling

Verb

With early voting already underway, a question worrying some voters is what role — if any — immigration enforcement officers might have at polling places through Election Day.

— ABC News, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026
Cloud computing let businesses add capacity without worrying much about what sat behind it.

— Anthony Milewski, Forbes.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of worrying

Browse Nearby Words

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Style

“Complaining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/complaining. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of complaining

adjective

verb

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