wailing

American  

[wey-ling] / ˈweɪ lɪŋ /

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.

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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

• unwailing adjective
• wailingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of wailing

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

Before they wreaked havoc on others, Matthew and Brady grew up wailing on each other.

From The Wall Street Journal

Danny wasn’t sure if it was the way the temperature dropped or if it was the wailing sound of the shadows, but he could hear them before he saw them.

From Literature

How could a table make a wailing noise?

From Literature

I wait for Tūtū to burst with emotion—tears or wailing or anything.

From Literature

The wailing sound you just heard was a Cleveland Browns fan screaming Why do I do this to myself?

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• sobbing
• weeping