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.
L.A. literature: In a durably famous metaphor for Southern California, “The Crying of Lot 49’s” heroine, Oedipa, compares the sight of a distant sprawling suburb to a transistor radio’s printed circuit board.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026
"Crying, shaking, looking at my husband, I said, 'what is happening?'," she said, recalling the moment she realised they had won on January 30.
From Barron's • Feb. 2, 2026
Mercifully, having already set “The Crying of Lot 49” and “Inherent Vice” largely in L.A.,
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 30, 2025
Crying, he repeated into my ear everything I had said to him.
From Slate • Apr. 27, 2025
April 27 Evening Wet and Crying My biggest papaya is light yellow, still flecked with green.
From "Inside Out and Back Again" by Thanhha Lai
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.
