wail C2+ Topic:Emotions & Feelings US /weɪl/ UK /weɪl/ See IPA manual Homophones wale /weɪl/ whale /weɪl/ Minimal pairs Sounds like vail /v/ vs /w/ Sounds like veil /v/ vs /w/ Meanings 1 verb to give a prolonged high-pitched cry of grief or pain The mourners began to wail as the coffin was lowered. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 verb · to give a prolonged... lamenthowlmoancrykeenbawlsobweep ↔ Opposites laughrejoicechuckle Word family Derived forms wailerwailingwailful Related forms woe Etymology AI details From Middle English wailen, from Old Norse væla ('to lament'), from vei ('woe'), an exclamation of grief. væla Old Norse vei Old Norse View etymology graph -> Topics Emotions & Feelings External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # wail **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** verb **IPA (US):** /weɪl/ **IPA (UK):** /weɪl/ ## Meanings 1. to give a prolonged high-pitched cry of grief or pain ## Examples - The mourners began to wail as the coffin was lowered. ## Synonyms - lament - howl - moan - cry - keen - bawl - sob - weep ## Antonyms - laugh - rejoice - chuckle ## Derived Forms - wailer - wailing - wailful ## Related Forms - woe ## Roots and Affixes - Root: væla - Root: vei ## Etymology From Middle English wailen, from Old Norse væla ('to lament'), from vei ('woe'), an exclamation of grief. ## AI Etymology Wail is from Middle English wailen, from Old Norse væla ('to lament'), from vei ('woe'), an exclamation of grief. Important recorded forms include væla (Old Norse) and vei (Old Norse). The current sense covers to give a prolonged high-pitched cry of grief or pain. The wider family includes derived forms such as wailer, wailing, and wailful and related words such as woe. ## Topics - Emotions & Feelings markdown