complaintive
- adjective
- /kəmˈpleɪntɪv/
:
quejoso
- Her complaintive tone made it clear she was unhappy with the arrangements.
Examples
-
The complaintive letters filled an entire drawer at the customer service office.
-
The complaintive customer demanded a refund.
-
Even in the best of times, he remained complaintive about minor inconveniences.
-
His complaintive nature made it hard to enjoy the trip.
-
complaintive tone of her emails made it clear she was unhappy with the service.
-
His complaintive nature often made meetings more tense than necessary.
-
After listening to his complaintive comments all day, I was ready for a break.
Synonyms
58
3.9
Complaining a lot in a childish, annoying way
3
4.8
Acting childish and complaining a lot in an annoying way
2
9.4
Often complaining in a whiny, unhappy way
1
6.7
Often complains and annoys others by telling them what to do
A person who often says they are not happy about things
Often complaining in a way that annoys others
Antonyms
How Complaining
- Informal
58
3.9
- Formal
2
9.4
87
1.0
1
6.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
The word complaintive comes from the common verb complain and the adjective ending -ive, so it literally means 'full of complaints' or 'inclined to complain'. A helpful way to remember it is to imagine someone who often says they are unhappy about many small things.