crying

[krahy-ing]

adjective

1. demanding attention or remedy; critical; severe.

   a crying evil.

2. reprehensible; odious; notorious.

   a crying shame.

crying

/ ˈkraɪɪŋ /

adjective

1. (prenominal) notorious; lamentable (esp in the phrase crying shame )

Other Word Forms

• cryingly adverb
• uncrying adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of crying¹

First recorded in 1300–50, crying is from the Middle English word cryenge. See cry, -ing ²

Example Sentences

"I was crying all the time, I didn't want to leave the house, I was avoiding friends," she said.

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"As soon as I saw the baby's head, I just lost it and we were all crying."

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Ms Ahmed said her daughter was crying when she called, adding "it terrified me".

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He had practiced his speech enough times that he thought he could get through it without crying — although during his rehearsals he had never yet managed it.

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“I remember sitting in Bryant Park and crying and being like, ‘She needs to know I would have never gotten this if it wasn’t for her.’”

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