Synonyms

crying

American

[krahy-ing] / ˈkraɪ ɪŋ /

adjective

demanding attention or remedy; critical; severe.

a crying evil.
reprehensible; odious; notorious.

a crying shame.

crying British

/ ˈkraɪɪŋ /

adjective

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

"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

Other Word Forms

cryingly adverb
uncrying adjective

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

Spelling Practice 1, Unit 5

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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.

But others looked visibly shaken, crying and hugging their relatives.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

Drive-throughs are tough environments for chatbots, with background noise from other people, crying babies and music blasting from radios.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

"I felt it was my sins that nailed our Lord to the cross and I just started crying," she said.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

After the cameras stopped rolling and the brown “sewage” was washed off, “we all started crying and holding each other as we said goodbye,” Kaczmarek recalled.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

She looked fierce, just like Red, but she gave a start when she saw me panting and crying.

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