wailing

[ wey-ling ]

adjective

uttering a prolonged, inarticulate, mournful cry, usually high-pitched or clear-sounding, as in grief or suffering: In the village we passed a funeral procession, the wailing widow following behind the body of her husband.
making a mournful sound, as a siren, music, the wind, etc.: A wailing police siren nears, passes, and fades.

complaining, protesting, whining, or crying: He rubbed the bare foot of the wailing toddler and planted a kiss on it.They’re always trying to correct the market, usually in the interests of some wailing pressure group.
Slang. expressing emotion musically or verbally in an exciting, satisfying way: The song celebrates with a Cajun-flavored stomp accompanied by a wailing fiddle and screaming electric guitar.

noun

a mournful cry or sound, or the act of making such a sound: The wailing of the mourners rose and fell, merging with the drums and the shaman’s chants.
an act or instance of complaining, protesting, etc.: “All art is propaganda, despite the wailing of purists,” she sneered.

Slang. the act of expressing emotion musically or verbally in an exciting, satisfying way: At this live show from 1974, the soulful wailing of the chorus in the background is utterly spine-tingling.

Origin of wailing

First recorded in 1350–1400; wail + -ing² for the adjective senses; wail + -ing¹ for the noun senses

The album’s continuous flow of shimmering synthesizer swirls and electronic wails that envelop and seemingly expand in all directions reveal Strom’s innate world-building skills.
Pauline Anna Strom’s posthumous album cements her legacy as an electronic music visionary | Jonathan Williger | February 19, 2021 | Washington Post
Along with her wails, she’d repeat the same phrases, over and over — all part of a daily ritual that spanned some four hours, until a collection of voices told her they were satisfied.
‘Call of Duty’ voice actors spent the summer on video calls like the rest of us | Mike Hume | November 11, 2020 | Washington Post
For all of the bellyaching, tooth gnashing, and public wailing, Democrats have no one to blame but themselves.
How the Lame Democrats Blew It | Goldie Taylor | November 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
When the Iraqis resume shouting and wailing at you, Hassan translates every exclamation until you tell him to stop.
Whatever You Do Someone Will Die. A Short Story About Impossible Choices in Iraq | Nathan Bradley Bethea | August 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
“I heard my baby wailing and asked one of the officers to let me hold him,” she writes.
What’s Next, Police With Tanks? | James Poulos | June 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

In his 2000 visit to Israel, the Polish pope placed a note at the wailing Wall seeking forgiveness for Christian anti-Semitism.
Pope Francis’s Sister Souljah Moment? | Evan Gahr | May 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
When Japan scored a point there were moans and a long wailing cry of E-yay.
How to Hide a Famine with Ping-Pong | Nicholas Griffin | January 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
At Felipe's cry, the women waiting in the hall hurried in, wailing aloud as their first glance showed them all was over.
Ramona | Helen Hunt Jackson
The sentinel was singing a sequedilla above; and its notes came to them with the wailing blast.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane Porter
He came close to having convulsions when a squad car passed on the next street west, its siren wailing.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942 | Various
And an answering cry sounded across the lagoon—thin, wailing, piteous.
Three More John Silence Stories | Algernon Blackwood
The hero hears sounds of wailing, and finds the maiden, the daughter of the King of the Isles, exposed upon the seashore.
The Three Days' Tournament | Jessie L. Weston

Browse