jeremiad

/ˈdʒɛrəˌmaɪəd/

Other forms: jeremiads

If a kid who's away at summer camp mails his parents a jeremiad, it means that he sends them a long, sad list of complaints.

Use the noun jeremiad to talk about any list of woes, especially a lengthy, mournful one. Many letters to the editors of newspapers and comments on websites are jeremiads, and someone addressing a city council or school board might make a verbal jeremiad — speaking for a long time about their many grievances. The word jeremiad was coined in 1700s France, as jérémiade, and it was a reference to the Old Testament's "Lamentations of Jeremiah."

Definitions of jeremiad

1. noun

   a long and mournful complaint
   “a jeremiad against any form of government”

   type of:

   complaint

   an expression of grievance or resentment