Nominal Forms
Infinitive: to complain
Participle: complained
Gerund: complaining
Cognates
-
Indicative
Present
| I | complain |
| you | complain |
| he;she;it | complains |
| we | complain |
| you | complain |
| they | complain |
Perfect
| I | have complained |
| you | have complained |
| he;she;it | has complained |
| we | have complained |
| you | have complained |
| they | have complained |
Past
| I | complained |
| you | complained |
| he;she;it | complained |
| we | complained |
| you | complained |
| they | complained |
Pluperfect
| I | had complained |
| you | had complained |
| he;she;it | had complained |
| we | had complained |
| you | had complained |
| they | had complained |
Future
| I | will complain |
| you | will complain |
| he;she;it | will complain |
| we | will complain |
| you | will complain |
| they | will complain |
Future Perfect
| I | will have complained |
| you | will have complained |
| he;she;it | will have complained |
| we | will have complained |
| you | will have complained |
| they | will have complained |
Subjunctive
Present
| I | complain |
| you | complain |
| he;she;it | complain |
| we | complain |
| you | complain |
| they | complain |
Perfect
| I | have complained |
| you | have complained |
| he;she;it | have complained |
| we | have complained |
| you | have complained |
| they | have complained |
Imperfect
| I | complained |
| you | complained |
| he;she;it | complained |
| we | complained |
| you | complained |
| they | complained |
Pluperfect
| I | had complained |
| you | had complained |
| he;she;it | had complained |
| we | had complained |
| you | had complained |
| they | had complained |
Conditional
Present
| I | would complain |
| you | would complain |
| he;she;it | would complain |
| we | would complain |
| you | would complain |
| they | would complain |
Perfect
| I | would have complained |
| you | would have complained |
| he;she;it | would have complained |
| we | would have complained |
| you | would have complained |
| they | would have complained |
Imperative
| you | complain |
| we | Let's complain |
| you | complain |
Verbs conjugated like 'complain'
abandon,
abduct,
abear,
aberr,
abject,
abord,
abort,
abound,
abraid,
abray,
abrook,
abscind,
abscond,
absist,
absorb,
abstain,
abstract,
accend,
accent,
accept, etc. (List truncated at 20 verbs)
Verbs similar to 'complain'
momsplain,
campaign,
captain,
cocaptain,
coimplant,
compact,
compane,
companion,
company,
compare,
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
- complain
- bleat, grotch, kvetch, moan, whine, whinge
- To complain.
- beef, grumble
- to express feelings of pain, dissatisfaction, or resentment
- bellyache, bleat, carp, chunter, crab, croak, dump on, frine, girn, give out, grotch, gruntle, harp, inveigh, make a stink, murmur, nag, nark, rail, repine, ride, snivel
- to complain about; to dismay or worry about something
- bemoan
- To criticize (something) spitefully, often for the sake of complaining rather than in order to have the problem corrected.
- bitch
- To complain or grumble.
- grouse
- To be grumpy or irritable; to complain.
- grouch
- to complain
- grump, moan
- To complain; to whine.
- gripe
- To whine or complain, often needlessly.
- kvetch
- to complain, especially needlessly and loudly.
- piss and moan
- to complain or protest in a childish manner or about trivial things
- whine
- to complain or protest, especially in an annoying or persistent manner
- whinge
- protest
- gripe, fuss, snarl, whimper, bewail, moan, grumble, remonstrate
Additional Information
Phrasal Verbs
Etymology
1. c.1370, from stem of O.Fr.
complaindre "to lament," from V.L.
*complangere, orig. "to beat the breast," from L.
com- intensive prefix +
plangere "to strike, beat the breast," from PIE base
*plag- "to strike." Older sense of "lament" died out 17c.
2. Etymology tree
3. Proto-Indo-European *ḱe?
4. Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm
5. Proto-Italic *kom
6. Proto-Italic *kom-
7. Latin con-
8. Latin com-
9. Proto-Indo-European *pel-
10. Proto-Indo-European *-ti
11. Proto-Indo-European *pl(e)h₂-n-g-e-tider.
12. Proto-Italic *plāngō
13. Latin plango
14. Latin plangere
15. Medieval Latin complangereder.
16. Old French conplaindre
17. Old French complaindreder.
18. Middle English complaynen
19. English complain
20. From Middle English complaynen, from Old French complaindre, from Medieval Latin complangere (“to bewail, complain”), from Latin com- (“together”) + plangere (“to strike, beat, as the breast in extreme grief, bewail”); see plain, plaint. See: Old French '
complaindre'.
Verbs referencing "complain"
Italian
compiangere.
Sample Sentences
-
After a while, they came to a thick patch of woodland, through which murmured a clear brook. As the child complained of hunger and thirst, she climbed over the fence with him; and, sitting down behind a large rock which concealed them from the road, she gave him a breakfast out of her little package. The boy [...]
(Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
-
[...] below, they were ‘fixing the tables: ’ in other words, laying the cloth. You beg a porter to collect your luggage, and he entreats you not to be uneasy, for he 'll ‘fix it presently: ’ and if you complain of indisposition, you are advised to have recourse to Doctor So-and-so, who will ‘fix you ’ in no time.
(American Notes for General Circulation)
-
[...] somewhat of a spirited flourish when the criminal to be affected by it was no longer in sight. “ He never realizes, never can, never will, what I suffer, and have, for years. If I was one of the complaining sort, or ever made any fuss about my ailments, there would be some reason for it. Men do get tired, naturally, of a complaining wife. But I 've kept things to myself, and borne, and borne, [...]
(Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
-
[...] will, what I suffer, and have, for years. If I was one of the complaining sort, or ever made any fuss about my ailments, there would be some reason for it. Men do get tired, naturally, of a complaining wife. But I 've kept things to myself, and borne, and borne, till St. Clare has got in the way of thinking I can bear anything. ”
(Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
-
“ You don't know, and you ca n't, the daily, hourly trials that beset a housekeeper from them, everywhere and every way. But it's no use to complain to St. Clare. He talks the strangest stuff. He says we have made them what they are, and ought to bear with them. He says their faults are all owing to us, and that it would be cruel to make the [...]
(Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
-
In Tom's external situation, at this time, there was, as the world says, nothing to complain of Little Eva's fancy for him—the instinctive gratitude and loveliness of a noble nature—had led her to petition her father that he might be her especial attendant, whenever she needed the escort of [...]
(Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
-
[...] committee for a redress of grievances. We hindered and repressed a great deal of cruelty, and congratulated ourselves on doing a vast deal of good, till, as often happens, my zeal overacted. Stubbs complained to my father that he couldn't manage the hands, and must resign his position. Father was a fond, indulgent husband, but a man that never flinched from anything that he thought necessary; and so he [...]
(Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
-
“ Mr. St. Clare is a singular man, ” said Marie to Miss Ophelia, in a complaining tone. “ I used to think, if there was anything in the world he did love, it was our dear little Eva; but he seems to be forgetting her very easily. I cannot ever get him to talk about her. I really [...]
(Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
-
[...] to his own face, say that it was his desire to be free, he would liberate him. An interview was forthwith procured, and Nathan was asked by his young master whether he had ever had any reason to complain of his treatment, in any respect.
(Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
-
What? In a world where everyone shouts and complains and whines and screws up and tries to cover up.
(The Devil Wears Prada 2)