😢 A person who cries 😭 A hired mourner

weeper

9.9

A person paid to cry at funerals

noun
/ˈwiːpər/

Archaic

: plañidero

At the funeral, the weeper cried loudly, expressing the family's deep sorrow.

Examples

Nora, this is Willie the Weeper.

After the Thin Man (1936)
How much are we paying the weepers?

Cry of the Banshee (1970)
The family hired a weeper to mourn for their beloved grandmother during the service.
She took on the role of a weeper, wailing dramatically as part of the funeral traditions.

Synonyms

mourner

vsweeper

39 4.0

A person who feels sad because someone has died

is hired to perform grief at funerals rather than simply feeling loss

crier

vsweeper

6 6.1

A person who often sheds tears, for example at sad movies

is hired to perform grief at funerals not simply someone who cries often

keener

vsweeper

Archaic

1 9.9

A person who loudly cries and sings at a funeral

is the hired person whose task is to express grief at funerals

wailer

vsweeper

1 7.9

A person who cries loudly for a long time to show they are very sad, often at funerals

is hired to show grief at funerals using crying or wailing as part

griever

vsweeper

1 7.2

A person who feels deep sadness after someone close dies

is hired to display grief publicly at funerals rather than privately feeling it

lamenter

vsweeper

Literature

7.7

A person who shows sadness at a funeral or after a death

is hired to show grief at funerals especially by crying or wailing

sobber

vsweeper

8.4

A person who cries loudly and cannot stop because they feel very sad or upset

is hired to cry or wail at funerals rather than crying from private emotion

blubberer

vsweeper

Informal

9.1

A person who cries loudly and uncontrollably

is hired to show mourning at funerals in an intentional public way

bawler

vsweeper

8.6

A person or animal who cries loudly when upset

is hired to express funeral grief by crying or wailing with purpose

tearer

vsweeper

7.9

A person who cries easily or often

is hired to show mourning at funerals rather than merely shedding tears privately

How Mournful

weeper

Archaic

9.9

mourner

39 4.0

sympathizer

1 4.3

bystander

84 3.4

Surface Forms

weeper singular

weepers plural

Morphology

weeper = weep (semi-transparent) = weep + er

While the formation is clear, the specific cultural role of a 'weeper' at funerals may not be immediately obvious to all learners.

Etymology

Weeper is formed from the same parts, weep ('to cry') + -er ('one who'), but it gained a special meaning in funeral customs. In the past, some families paid people to cry at funerals, so a weeper can mean someone who is paid to show grief.