as in wails
a crying out in grief
the loud keens of the widows were heard throughout the war-ravaged city
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in complains
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely
victims of the disaster have been keening for weeks about the slowness of governmental aid
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for keens
Noun
-
Her wails of pain were audible on TV broadcasts as medics tended to her before a helicopter finally carried her away.—
Becky Sullivan,
NPR,
6 May 2026 -
Within moments, a smoke detector wails.—
Cyrus Farivar,
ArsTechnica,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
Never says a word, never complains about it, right?—
Anderson Cooper,
CBS News,
17 May 2026
-
Anushka complains about the agreement that asks users to accept 97 pages of terms and conditions in 7-point font, but these guys don’t even see themselves as car manufacturers.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
Foxes use a variety of calls, including barks, howls, yaps, and growls.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Each dish and recipe howls with a common sense of place.—
Scott Hocker,
TheWeek,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
As the credits rolled and the audience broke out into applause, lead Thatcher burst into tears as Refn paced back and forth, hyping up the crowd for the 7-minute ovation.—
Zack Sharf,
Variety,
18 May 2026
-
Throughout the day, friends and classmates gathered, wiping away tears, comforting each other and trying to process the sudden loss.—
Shelley Bortz,
CBS News,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
As the realization that nothing—or no one—will be enough overcomes the final bridge, a flurry of drums gallop in and the track explodes into fireworks as Rodrigo screams her guts out.—
Quinn Moreland,
Pitchfork,
22 May 2026
-
Nobody screams or yells; the Marsies just fire back, and M-6 troops continue to fire in response.—
Sophie Brookover,
Vulture,
22 May 2026
Noun
-
The architect gave a presentation with visuals that led to loud groans from an audience of several hundred.—
J.D. Miles,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
-
When Tel received the ball in his own half a couple of minutes later and lost it carelessly, there were a few groans from the home fans.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
As the video continues, one person can be heard yelling her name while the makeup artist moans in pain.—
Abigail Adams,
PEOPLE,
21 May 2026
-
The Freight House building creaks and moans underfoot, and passing trains produce little more than a subtle hum.—
Nicole Letts,
Southern Living,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Rallying cries were common before key games, particularly those where Everton’s top-flight status was on the line.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
-
Shaina Montiel says her mother stills cries thinking about her harrowing experience with hantavirus at age 5, which, according to the CDC, can have a fatality rate up to 38%, depending on the type of syndrome caused by it.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Keens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/keens. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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