complain

A2 Topic:Media & Publishing

US /kəmˈpleɪn/ See IPA manual

Freq #3462

Meanings

1

verb
To say that you are unhappy or annoyed about something.

Joe was always complaining about the noise made by his neighbours.
2

verb
To make a formal report saying that something is wrong.

I complained to the manager about the poor service.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to say that you are unhappy... kick

More beef bellyache bemoan bitch bleat carp chunter crab croakfrinegirn gripe

Word family

Forms complainedcomplainingcomplaininglycomplainsuncomplaining

Derived forms complainablecomplaineecomplainercomplaininglycomplainingnesscomplainynoncomplaininguncomplaineduncomplaining

Related forms complainer fastidious peevish utter

Etymology

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.

complaynen Middle English complaindre Old French complangere la-med com- Latin

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# complain

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /kəmˈpleɪn/
**Frequency rank:** 3462

## Meanings
1. To say that you are unhappy or annoyed about something.
2. To make a formal report saying that something is wrong.

## Examples
- Joe was always complaining about the noise made by his neighbours.
- I complained to the manager about the poor service.

## Synonyms
- beef
- bellyache
- bemoan
- bitch
- bleat
- carp
- chunter
- crab
- croak
- frine
- girn
- gripe

## Derived Forms
- complainable
- complainee
- complainer
- complainingly
- complainingness
- complainy
- noncomplaining
- uncomplained
- uncomplaining

## Related Forms
- complainer
- fastidious
- peevish
- utter

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: complaynen
- Root: complaindre
- Root: complangere
- Root: com-

## Etymology
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.

## AI Etymology
complain is a verb. It is 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. Historical forms in the chain include complaynen (Middle English), complaindre (Old French), complangere (Medieval Latin), and com- (Latin). Current senses include to say that you are unhappy or annoyed about something and to make a formal report saying that something is wrong. Derived forms include complainable, complainee, complainer, complainingly, and complainingness. Related words include complainer, fastidious, peevish, and utter.

## Topics
- Media & Publishing
- Register & Style

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complain

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