whimper

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C1 — Advanced

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a complaint uttered in a plaintive whining way
  2. verb cry weakly or softly

Etymology

From dialectal whimp (“to whine”) + -er (frequentative suffix). Compare German wimmern (“to whimper, whine”).

In classic literature

Synonyms

whine

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