whiny
Meaning
complaining in a childish, annoying, or fretful way.
Structure
Usage
the long car journey was made unbearable by the whiny children in the back seat.
he dismissed her feedback with a wave of his hand, calling it nothing but whiny criticism.
after the cancellation was announced, the internet was filled with whiny posts from disappointed fans.
Etymology
The adjective "whiny" is a Modern English formation built upon the much older verb "whine." The verb itself originates from Old English hwīnan, an onomatopoeic term imitative of a prolonged, high-pitched sound, such as a whizzing arrow or a humming insect. Over time, this sense was figuratively extended to describe the sound of a plaintive human complaint or cry. By adding the productive adjectival suffix "-y," which denotes "characterized by," English created "whiny" to describe a person or tone habitually characterized by such fretful complaining, thus capturing a behavioral trait through its auditory signature.
Analysis
whine (from old english hwīnan, meaning to make a whizzing or humming sound, of imitative origin) + y (from old english -ig, a suffix forming adjectives meaning "characterized by, full of, having the qualities of").