crying
Americanadjective
-
demanding attention or remedy; critical; severe.
a crying evil.
-
reprehensible; odious; notorious.
a crying shame.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of crying
First recorded in 1300–50, crying is from the Middle English word cryenge. See cry, -ing 2
Vocabulary lists containing crying
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Celeste said she became aware something was wrong with her son in 2020, when he started to call the family "agitated and crying".
From BBC • May 14, 2026
Maslany: Yeah, you’re like, “I thought she’d be crying as she said it.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026
Images released by a local media outlet showed a woman being evacuated on a stretcher and scenes of heartbreak outside the school, with people crying and hugging each other.
From Barron's • May 6, 2026
Directors and playwrights can answer that question by exploring less familiar plays, some of which are crying out to be shared with the modern world.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026
The baby didn’t either, because he started crying and the miller began to stir in his sleep.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
