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definitions

complain

[kuhm-pleyn]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR complain ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

to express dissatisfaction, pain, uneasiness, censure, resentment, or grief; find fault: He complained constantly about the noise in the corridor.
to tell of one's pains, ailments, etc.: to complain of a backache.
to make a formal accusation: If you think you've been swindled, complain to the police.

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RELATED WORDS

troublemaker, nitpicker, grump, crybaby, protester, crab, objector, growler, nagger, faultfinder

Nearby words

  1. compiler,
  2. compiègne,
  3. complacence,
  4. complacency,
  5. complacent,
  6. complainant,
  7. complainer,
  8. complaint,
  9. complaisance,
  10. complaisant

Origin of complain

1350–1400; Middle English compleinen < Anglo-French compleign-, stem of compleindre, Old French complaindre < Vulgar Latin *complangere, equivalent to Latin com- com- + plangere to lament; see plaint
ANTONYMS FOR complain
1. rejoice.
SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR complain ON THESAURUS.COM
Related forms

Synonym study

1. Complain, grumble, growl, whine are terms for expressing dissatisfaction or discomfort. To complain is to protest against or lament a wrong: to complain about high prices. To grumble is to utter ill-natured complaints half to oneself: to grumble about the service. Growl may express more anger than grumble : to growl in reply to a question. To whine is to complain in a meanspirited way, using a nasal tone: to whine like a coward, like a spoiled child.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for complainer

British Dictionary definitions for complainer

complain

verb (intr)

to express resentment, displeasure, etc, esp habitually; grumble
(foll by of) to state the presence of pain, illness, etc, esp in the hope of sympathyshe complained of a headache
Derived Formscomplainer, nouncomplainingly, adverb

Word Origin for complain

C14: from Old French complaindre, from Vulgar Latin complangere (unattested), from Latin com- (intensive) + plangere to bewail
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for complainer

complain

v.

late 14c., "find fault, lament," from stem of Old French complaindre "to lament" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin *complangere, originally "to beat the breast," from Latin com-, intensive prefix (see com-), + plangere "to strike, beat the breast" (see plague (n.)). Older sense of "lament" died out 17c. Related: Complained; complaining.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with complainer

complain

see can't complain.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.