wailing

[wey-ling]

adjective

1. 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.

2. making a mournful sound, as a siren, music, the wind, etc..

   A wailing police siren nears, passes, and fades.

3. 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.

4. 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

1. 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.

2. an act or instance of complaining, protesting, etc..

   “All art is propaganda, despite the wailing of purists,” she sneered.

3. 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.

Other Word Forms

• wailingly adverb
• unwailing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of wailing¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; wail ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; wail ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun senses

Example Sentences

The song is soft, with a distant, wailing sax peeking in for a brief moment among drum lines.

From Los Angeles Times

“We heard wailing like screaming in terror,” the woman said, saying the screams were a “type of guttural wailing you don’t really forget.”

From Los Angeles Times

Agnes’ wailing — I could do that right now in front of you.

From Los Angeles Times

In this welcoming new context — imagine “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” suffused with girl power — there’s never anything odd about the characters grinding and wailing like karaoke superstars.

From Los Angeles Times

With his wailing vocal style and "prince of darkness" reputation, Ozzy led the band to become global stars - before he was fired due mainly to his increasing dependency on drugs and alcohol.

From BBC

Related Words

• sobbing www.thesaurus.com
• weeping