Wail — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

a cry of sorrow and grief

emit long loud cries

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/wˈeɪl/

🇬🇧British English

/wˈeɪl/

🇮🇳Indian English

/wˈeɪl/

1 syllable Say it as /wˈeɪl/.

Examples

their pitiful laments could be heard throughout the ward
wail in self-pity
howl with sorrow

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

roar yawl mewl pule plaint howl ululate lamentation lament yaup whimper

Parts of Speech

noun	a cry of sorrow and grief “their pitiful laments could be heard throughout the ward”
verb	emit long loud cries “wail in self-pity”
verb	cry weakly or softly “she wailed with pain”

Word Forms

lament	verb	express grief verbally
wail	verb	emit long loud cries
howl	noun	a long loud emotional utterance
howling	noun	a long loud emotional utterance
ululation	noun	a long loud emotional utterance
wail	noun	a cry of sorrow and grief
wailer	noun	a mourner who utters long loud high-pitched cries
wailing	noun	loud cries made while weeping
roar	noun	a very loud utterance (like the sound of an animal)
roaring	noun	a very loud utterance (like the sound of an animal)
whimper	noun	a complaint uttered in a plaintive whining way

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

jammern

ein Schrei der Trauer und des Kummers

🇫🇷French

lamenter

un cri de tristesse et de chagrin

🇪🇸Spanish

gemido

un grito de pena y pena

🇮🇹Italian

gemere

un grido di dolore e di dolore

🇳🇱Dutch

jammeren

een schreeuw van verdriet en verdriet

🇵🇹Portuguese

lamento

um grito de tristeza e pesar

🇷🇺Russian

стенать

крик печали и скорби

India

🇮🇳Hindi

विलाप

दुख और शोक की चीख

🇧🇩Bengali

হাহাকার

দুঃখ এবং শোকের একটি কান্না

🇮🇳Tamil

புலம்பல்

துக்கம் மற்றும் துயரத்தின் அழுகை

🇮🇳Telugu

ఏడుపు

దుఃఖం మరియు దుఃఖం యొక్క ఏడుపు

🇮🇳Marathi

रडणे

दु: ख आणि दु: ख एक रडणे

🇮🇳Gujarati

વિલાપ

દુ:ખ અને શોકનું રુદન

🇮🇳Kannada

ಅಳಲು

ದುಃಖ ಮತ್ತು ದುಃಖದ ಕೂಗು

🇮🇳Malayalam

വിലപിക്കുക

സങ്കടത്തിൻ്റെയും സങ്കടത്തിൻ്റെയും നിലവിളി

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਰੋਣਾ

ਦੁੱਖ ਅਤੇ ਉਦਾਸ ਦੀ ਪੁਕਾਰ

🇵🇰Urdu

رونا

دکھ اور غم کا رونا

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

哀号

悲伤和悲伤的哭泣

🇯🇵Japanese

泣き叫ぶ

悲しみと悲しみの叫び

🇰🇷Korean

비탄

슬픔과 슬픔의 외침

🇻🇳Vietnamese

than van

một tiếng kêu đau buồn và đau buồn

🇹🇭Thai

ร้องไห้

เสียงร้องแห่งความโศกเศร้าและความโศกเศร้า

🇮🇩Indonesian

meratap

tangisan kesedihan dan kesedihan

🇵🇭Filipino

humagulgol

isang sigaw ng kalungkutan at pighati

🇲🇾Malay

meraung

tangisan kesedihan dan kesedihan

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

عويل

صرخة حزن وأسى

🇮🇷Persian

ناله

فریاد غم و اندوه

🇹🇷Turkish

feryat etmek

bir acı ve keder çığlığı

🇮🇱Hebrew

לְקוֹנֵן

זעקה של צער ויגון

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'wail'?

The primary meaning of 'wail' is 'a cry of sorrow and grief'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'wail' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'wail' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'wail' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'wail' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'wail' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'wail' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'wail' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'wail' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'wail' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'wail' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted