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 Words From

• wail·ing·ly adverb
• un·wail·ing 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 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.

From 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.

From Washington Post

For all of the bellyaching, tooth gnashing, and public wailing, Democrats have no one to blame but themselves.

From The Daily Beast

When the Iraqis resume shouting and wailing at you, Hassan translates every exclamation until you tell him to stop.

From The Daily Beast

“I heard my baby wailing and asked one of the officers to let me hold him,” she writes.

From 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.

From The Daily Beast

When Japan scored a point there were moans and a long wailing cry of E-yay.

From 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.

From Project Gutenberg

The sentinel was singing a sequedilla above; and its notes came to them with the wailing blast.

From Project Gutenberg

He came close to having convulsions when a squad car passed on the next street west, its siren wailing.

From Project Gutenberg

And an answering cry sounded across the lagoon—thin, wailing, piteous.

From Project Gutenberg

The hero hears sounds of wailing, and finds the maiden, the daughter of the King of the Isles, exposed upon the seashore.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• sobbing
• weeping