WHINY
What does "WHINY" mean?
Given to complaining in a feeble, high-pitched, or irritating way.
Meanings
- Tending to whine or complain peevishly. He gets whiny when he's overtired. informal
- Having a high, thin, plaintive sound. A whiny note rose from the old fan motor.
Did you know?
- 'Whiny' quietly drops the 'e' from 'whine' before adding '-y' - the same trim that turns 'shine' into 'shiny' and 'slime' into 'slimy.'
Word origin
Formed in English from the verb 'whine' (Old English 'hwīnan', to make a high sound) plus the adjective suffix '-y'; also spelled 'whiney'.
Remember it
WHINY = WHINE minus E plus Y - the Y at the end is the tail of the long high note that keeps going.
A little poem
The day was fine until the small voice came,
thin as a draft, and turned the bright air whiny and tame.
couplet
Wordplay
- My friend complained that his wine cellar made him sound pretentious. I told him he wasn't pretentious, just a little whiny.
What it teaches
A complaint repeated without a fix curdles into a tone; whiny is what wanting becomes when it never moves.
Quick facts
What does WHINY mean?
Given to complaining in a feeble, high-pitched, or irritating way.
Is WHINY a valid word?
Yes — WHINY is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is WHINY?
WHINY has 5 letters and 2 syllables.
Where does WHINY come from?
Formed in English from the verb 'whine' (Old English 'hwīnan', to make a high sound) plus the adjective suffix '-y'; also spelled 'whiney'.
What can WHINY teach us?
A complaint repeated without a fix curdles into a tone; whiny is what wanting becomes when it never moves.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.