complained
verb
Form of complain , past tense of complain.
Simple meaning
Make a formal accusation.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
kuhmplayndSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
kəmpˈleɪnd
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
past tense of complain
Make a formal accusation; bring a formal charge
“The plaintiff's lawyer complained that he defendant had physically abused his client.”
past tense of complain
To express feelings of pain, dissatisfaction, or resentment.
past tense of complain
To creak or squeak, as a timber or wheel.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Make a formal accusation; bring a formal charge
Used this way, complained is a common word with a clearly unfavourable pull. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“The plaintiff's lawyer complained that he defendant had physically abused his client.”
- Emotional tone
- Negative
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Gentle
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Serious and weighty
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “complained that …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Natural pattern: complained that …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use complained
- “The plaintiff's lawyer complained that he defendant had physically abused his client.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.