Complaints

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /kəmˈpleɪnts/

Definitions

1. Statements made by someone to show they are unhappy or displeased with a situation
2. Expressions in which a person tells others about a problem or something that bothers them
3. Formal or informal remarks made to communicate displeasure or a grievance about an issue

Etymology: "Complaints" is the plural of "complaint," and the singular has a surprisingly mournful ancestor: Latin "planctus," a wailing or lament, often for the dead. The Latin word came from "plangere," to beat the breast, a gesture of grief. That ancient sense of loud mourning survives in "plaint," a poetic word for a lament, which is a close relative of "complaint" and once shared its meaning. The word reached English by way of Old French "complaindre," to lament or bewail, which passed into Anglo-Norman and then Middle English as "compleynte." Its everyday sense of a grievance or a statement of dissatisfaction grew out of that older idea of expressing sorrow aloud. In a sense, a complaint is still a kind of lament, only one aimed at a bad service, a noisy neighbour, or a faulty product. The plural form simply means several such expressions of unhappiness. Its meaning has shifted from grief over a death to annoyance over ordinary frustrations, a change that moved the word from the funeral to the customer service desk.

Synonyms: grievances, protests, objections, dissatisfactions, discontent

Antonyms: praises, commendations, approvals, satisfaction, contentment