v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Complained p. pr. & vb. n. Complaining. ] [ F. complaindre, LL. complangere; com- + L. plangere to strike, beat, to beat the breast or head as a sign of grief, to lament. See Plaint. ] 1. To give utterance to expression of grief, pain, censure, regret. etc.; to lament; to murmur; to find fault; -- commonly used with of. Also, to creak or squeak, as a timber or wheel. [ 1913 Webster ]

O loss of sight, of thee I most complain! Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To make a formal accusation; to make a charge. [ 1913 Webster ]

Now, Master Shallow, you'll complain of me to the king? Shak.

Syn. -- To repine; grumble; deplore; bewail; grieve; mourn; regret; murmur. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To lament; to bewail. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

They might the grievance inwardly complain. Daniel. [ 1913 Webster ]

By chaste Lucrece's soul that late complain'd
Her wrongs to us. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. That may be complained of. [ R. ] Feltham. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. complaignant, p. pr. of complaindre. ] 1. One who makes complaint. [ 1913 Webster ]

Eager complainants of the dispute. Collier. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Law) (a) One who commences a legal process by a complaint. (b) The party suing in equity, answering to the plaintiff at common law. [ 1913 Webster ]

He shall forfeit one moiety to the use of the town, and the other moiety to the use of the complainant. Statutes of Mass. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who complains or laments; one who finds fault; a murmurer. Beattie. [ 1913 Webster ]

Speechless complainer, I will learn thy thought. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

pos>adj. uttering complaints. Opposite of uncomplaining. [ prenominal ] [ Narrower terms: faultfinding, grumbling(prenominal): fretful, querulous, whiney, whining(prenominal), whiny; protesting(prenominal), protestant ]
Syn. -- complaintive. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ F. complainte. See Complain. ] 1. Expression of grief, regret, pain, censure, or resentment; lamentation; murmuring; accusation; fault-finding. [ 1913 Webster ]

I poured out my complaint before him. Ps. cxlii. 2. [ 1913 Webster ]

Grievous complaints of you. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Cause or subject of complaint or murmuring. [ 1913 Webster ]

The poverty of the clergy in England hath been the complaint of all who wish well to the church. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. An ailment or disease of the body. [ 1913 Webster ]

One in a complaint of his bowels. Arbuthnot. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Law) A formal allegation or charge against a party made or presented to the appropriate court or officer, as for a wrong done or a crime committed (in the latter case, generally under oath); an information; accusation; the initial bill in proceedings in equity.

Syn. -- Lamentation; murmuring; sorrow; grief; disease; illness; disorder; malady; ailment. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Full of complaint. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

See accommodating.
See aching.
See ailing.
See aiming.
See alarming.
See altering.
See appreciating.
See approving.
See aspiring.
See assisting.
See attempting.
See attending.
See bearing.
See befitting.
See beginning.
See believing.
See bleaching.
See bleeding.
See blemishing.
See blenching.
See blossoming.
See blushing.
See boding.
See branching.
See breathing.
See burning.
See calculating.
See ceasing.
See changing.
See charming.
See communicating.
See complaining.
See complying.
See conceiving.
See conducing.
See confessing.
See conniving.
See consenting.
See considering.
See conspiring.
See consulting.
See consuming.
See contending.
See contriving.
See conversing.
See convincing.
See dawning.
See decaying.
See delaying.
See depending.
See derogating.
See deserving.
See desiring.
See despairing.
See detesting.
See deviating.
See differencing.
See discerning.
See discording.
See discriminating.
See disobliging.
See dispensing.
See dissembling.
See dissolving.
See distinguishing.
See distracting.
See disturbing.
See doubting.
See dreading.
See drooping.
See ebbing.
See echoing.
See edifying.
See ending.
See enduring.
See engaging.
See enjoying.
See entering.
See enterprising.
See entertaining.
See envying.
See existing.
See fadging.
See fading.
See fainting.
See faltering.
See fearing.
See feigning.
See fighting.
See fitting.
See flagging.
See flattering.
See flinching.
See folding.
See forbearing.
See foreboding.
See foreseeing.
See forgiving.
See giving.
See grudging.
See harming.
See heeding.
See hesitating.
See hoping.
See hurting.
See importing.
See imposing.
See improving.
See interesting.
See intermitting.
See intoxicating.
See inviting.
See jarring.
See laboring.
See lingering.
See listening.
See loving.
See meddling.
See meriting.
See mistrusting.
See moving.
See murmuring.
See obliging.
See observing.
See offending.
See opening.
See pardoning.
See paying.
See perceiving.
See performing.
See perishing.
See pitying.
See pleasing.
See possessing.
See preaching.
See prepossessing.
See presuming.
See pretending.
See prevailing.
See prevaricating.
See profiting.
See promising.
See proving.
See quailing.
See questioning.
See reasoning.
See recalling.
See reclining.
See recurring.
See referring.
See reflecting.
See refunding.
See refusing.
See rejoicing.
See relaxing.
See relishing.
See remembering.
See repenting.
See repining.
See reproving.
See repulsing.
See resisting.
See resolving.
See resting.
See returning.
See rewarding.
See sanctifying.
See satisfying.
See searching.
See seeing.
See setting.
See shrinking.
See sinking.
See sleeping.
See slipping.
See slumbering.
See speaking.
See stinting.
See stirring.
See stooping.
See submitting.
See sufficing.
See suiting.
See surging.
See suspecting.
See sweating.
See swerving.
See sympathizing.
See tasting.
See thriving.
See tiring.
See toiling.
See trading.
See trembling.
See trespassing.
See trifling.
See vacillating.
See varying.
See walking.
See wandering.
See waning.
See wasting.
See wavering.
See weeping.
See winking.
See winning.
See withdrawing.
See withering.
See wondering.
See working.
See writing.
See yielding.
----- and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

The above classes of words are unlimited in extent, and such compounds may be formed by any writer or speaker at will from almost all the adjectives or participles in the language, excepting those which have a recognized and usual negative correspondent with the prefix -in. No attempt will be made, therefore, to define them all in this Dictionary; many will be omitted from its Vocabulary which are negations of the simple word, and are readily explained by prefixing a not to the latter. Derivatives of these words in -ly and -ness will also, for the most part, be omitted for the same or similar reasons. [ 1913 Webster ]

There will be inserted as separate articles with definitions, the following: -- [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Those which have acquired an opposed or contrary, instead of a merely negative, meaning; as, unfriendly, ungraceful, unpalatable, unquiet, and the like; or else an intensive sense more than a prefixed not would express; as, unending, unparalleled, undisciplined, undoubted, unsafe, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Those which have the value of independent words, inasmuch as the simple words are either not used at all, or are rarely, or at least much less frequently, used; as, unavoidable, unconscionable, undeniable, unspeakable, unprecedented, unruly, and the like; or inasmuch as they are used in a different sense from the usual meaning of the primitive, or especially in one of the significations of the latter; as, unaccountable, unalloyed, unbelieving, unpretending, unreserved, and the like; or inasmuch as they are so frequently and familiarly used that they are hardly felt to be of negative origin; as, uncertain, uneven, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Those which are anomalous, provincial, or, for some other reason, not desirable to be used, and are so indicated; as, unpure for impure, unsatisfaction for dissatisfaction, unexpressible for inexpressible, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

II. Un- is prefixed to nouns to express the absence of, or the contrary of, that which the noun signifies; as, unbelief, unfaith, unhealth, unrest, untruth, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Compounds of this last class are given in full in their proper order in the Vocabulary. [ 1913 Webster ]