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

My counterpoint was that Adams already has tried, but got skewered as whiny and defensive. —Tim Graham, New York Times, 2 May 2025

The best way to explain it is to record both whiny and regular voices and then play them back. —Debby Waldman, Parents, 29 Apr. 2025

Clad in nothing but his underwear, Joe pursues Bronte through the woods like a demon, and Badgley goes hard on making Joe sound like a teeny, whiny baby. —Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 25 Apr. 2025

Actually 2 questions: 1) Do race fans, reporters, and aficionados accept vague whiny complaints from the drivers about how the car is to blame without demanding some type of backup? —Luke Smith, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1746, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for whiny

• briny
• piney
• shiny
• spiny
• tiny
• consignee
• sunshiny