GROAN Synonyms: 74 Similar and Opposite Words

groan 1 of 2

noun

Definition of groan

as in wail

a crying out in grief when the underdogs lost the playoffs, the groans of millions of disappointed fans were heard throughout the land

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in moan

a long low sound indicating pain or grief let out a groan when he tried to stand on the sprained ankle

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

groan

2 of 2

verb

ˈgrōn

as in to moan

to utter a moan heard someone groaning in pain

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of groan

Noun

After two hours of practice, with the 10-foot-tall fences doing little to muffle the bullhorn orders and corresponding groans, the huddle broke and the personalities sprung to life. — Noah White, Washington Post, 14 Sep. 2026 When journalist Matthew Belloni broke the news of Paltrow’s upcoming dinner party last week in his Puck newsletter, a groan went up from some corners of the internet. — Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2026

Verb

Many fans would likely groan about Volpe returning to the big leagues at any point this year, but the Yankees haven’t ruled it out. — Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026 Whatever the result, Sunday’s election in the state of Saxony-Anhalt is a clear signal flare that the foundations of modern Germany are groaning. — Mark Sappenfield, Christian Science Monitor, 4 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for groan

Recent Examples of Synonyms for groan

Noun

Feverish with feeling, the women scream, wail and sob, each one experiencing her misery multiply in real time as the remaining two look on in disdain.

— Natalia Winkelman, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
No wet plop of a SpongeBob ice cream bar crashing onto hot asphalt; a child’s apocalyptic wails ensuing.

— Allyson Reedy, Denver Post, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of wail

Noun

One of us would be chosen to recite the poem onstage—a kitsch performance, no doubt, so that an auditorium of adults would be moved to tears.

— Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2026
The first days of testimony brought tears from witnesses, spectators and jurors, the 9th Street Journal reported.

— Leigh Egan, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of tears

Noun

Elementary school students may have tantrums, be clingy, have toileting accidents, engage in uncontrollable crying or become less talkative as a result of changes in schools, homes and caregivers.

— Nikki R Wooten, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2026
Heart attacks and strokes occur disproportionately following rejections, and rejected individuals often show symptoms that are typically associated with drug withdrawal, including anxiety, depression, crying, loss of appetite, and irritability.

— George Loewenstein, Vogue, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of crying

Noun

Her friend’s cries mixed with the sound of police car sirens before officers arrived and escorted students and staff out the building.

— Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026
When news got around that a new movie version of Sense and Sensibility was in the works, cries of dismay rang forth from Bath to Brooklyn.

— Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of cry

Noun

Ḥusayn’s death became for the Shiʿah a symbol of selfless resistance against worldly injustice and tyranny and is commemorated with lamentation each year on Ashura.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 July 2026
Moments of humor sit alongside lamentation and ritual intensity, underscoring the exhibition’s refusal of a single, fixed reading.

— George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 20 Apr. 2026

Definition of lamentation

Noun

The second slide was a video (without sound) of the couple’s first kiss, which King prefaced with what looked like a howl of joy, followed by a series of passionate kisses and an arms-in-the-air yelp from the groom.

— Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 5 Oct. 2026
With every whimper, sigh, howl, bark and head tilt, these dogs create an empathetic portrayal of a highly intelligent creature that has been through battle and has the scars (and nightmares) to prove it.

— Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of howl

Noun

Jax has a greyhound with its own wardrobe that’s probably worth more than my entire closet and is worried about only having her personality to lean on in the experiment — a hot girl’s lament.

— Emma Sharpe, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026
Caroline Wahl concluded her statement with the wistful lament that all she was left with now was her double one—referring to her two new books heading the Spiegel Bestseller List.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of lament

Browse Nearby Words

grizzling

groan

groaned

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Groan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/groan. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of groan

noun

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

jilt

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes