keening

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Gilgamesh’s lament is not the stylized keening of epic tradition—not Achilles’ highfalutin howls after Hector strikes down Patroclus—but something rawer, humbler, more recognizably human.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

Only a handful of authentic keening songs were recorded from traditional singers, which Róis referenced on the record.

From BBC • Dec. 31, 2025

Shift to Sport mode and the engine will hold at a high, keening rpm, trying to charge the battery faster than the driver can drain it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 25, 2025

After a few moments of keening in the dark, Howze reaches his denouement in song: “I’m trying to be,” he sings.

From New York Times • Feb. 12, 2024

“I used to think it was immoral to be unhappy,” he continued, as though keening aloud in solitude.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller