# complaint

Pronunciation: say "kuhm-PLAYNT" /kəmˈpleɪnt/

## Noun

1. A grievance, problem, difficulty, or matter of concern about something.
   - Simple: A problem or worry, or something you think is wrong about a thing.
   - _His chief complaint was that the office kept changing the rules without warning._
   - _The survey collected complaints ranging from noise levels to parking shortages._
2. The act of expressing that something is unsatisfactory, wrong, or a source of dissatisfaction.
   - Simple: The act of saying that you are unhappy about something.
   - _Constant complaint from the staff eventually forced management to revise the schedule._
   - _She accepted the extra workload without complaint, though it clearly frustrated her._
3. A bodily disorder or disease, or a symptom that signals one.
   - Simple: An illness or health problem in some part of the body.
   - _Her recurring respiratory complaint flared up every time the weather turned cold._
   - _The clinic sees patients with everything from a sprained ankle to a heart complaint._
4. The first formal document a plaintiff files in a civil lawsuit, setting out the facts on which the claim is based.
   - Simple: The first paper a person files to start a lawsuit, saying what the other side did wrong.
   - _The plaintiff's complaint alleged breach of contract and demanded substantial damages._
   - _After reviewing the complaint, the judge scheduled an initial hearing._
5. In criminal law, the preliminary charge or accusation one person makes against another before a court or magistrate.
   - Simple: A first charge that one person makes against another, told to a court or judge.
   - _The victim swore out a complaint before the local magistrate the next morning._
   - _A valid complaint must name the accused and describe the alleged offense._

## Origin

It comes from Middle English compleynte, from Anglo-Norman compleint and Old French compleindre, going back ultimately to Latin planctus (the source of plaint).

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/complaint (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).