whiny

adjective

ˈ(h)wī-nē 

variants or less commonly whiney

whinier; whiniest

: characterized by whining:

a

: having a high-pitched, shrill or plaintive quality

a whiny voice

"So What'cha Want," despite its jittery organ, whiny guitar, and distorted vocals, turned out to be one of the least predictable-sounding hit singles of recent years.

—Alan Light

b

: characterized by or given to complaining

whiny children

Their whiny, even beggarly tone was hardly the supremely confident sound of the American Century.

—Sidney Blumenthal

… offering little more than a whiny list of grievances …

—Linda Chavez

In this conversational memoir, Nancy comes across as honest, if a little whiny, and a major-league worrier.

—Ilene Cooper

whininess noun

A few years ago, thirtysomething was widely reviled for encouraging the yuppie ethos of materialism and whininess.

—Mark Harris

… I heard something, a certain whininess in his voice, maybe, that led me to conclude that I wasn't about to get a pasting …

—Nick Hornby

Examples of whiny in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In defense of whiny Joey King, that does seem like a lot. —Emma Specter, Vogue, 12 Aug. 2024

Of course, the girls are extra whiny and L. ends up needing her diaper changed at 12:58 p.m. —R29 Team, refinery29.com, 29 July 2024

In the television show, Gyllenhaal’s Sabich is whiny, impulsive, and insistent on his own righteousness. —Lyz Lenz, Rolling Stone, 16 July 2024

In earlier show appearances, Aegon comes off like a typical whiny teen, entitled, oblivious to the political intrigues around him, masturbating out a window of the Red Keep. —Aja Romano, Vox, 17 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1746, in the meaning defined above