What does squaller mean?
A squaller is someone or something that squalls: a person or animal producing a loud, high-pitched cry or wail. The word is especially associated with children and animals, but it can also describe a person who complains loudly and emotionally. In that extended sense, it is generally derogatory and may suggest that someone is making a disproportionate fuss. The related verb squall means to cry or wail loudly, while squall can also name a sudden, violent burst of wind or stormy weather. Although squaller derives directly from squall, it normally emphasizes the source of the noise rather than the weather phenomenon itself. The word is most useful when the identity of the person or animal making the cry matters, or when describing a conspicuously noisy complainer.
nounA person or animal that makes a loud, high-pitched cry or wail. By extension, the term can refer disparagingly to someone who complains noisily or emotionally.
- A person, especially a child, who cries or wails loudly.
- An animal that makes a loud, sharp cry.
- A person who complains or protests loudly and emotionally.
"The squaller fell silent as soon as the teacher entered the room."
"The smallest squaller in the group was loudly demanding another ice cream."
"His constant complaints turned him into the office's greatest squaller."
The regular plural is used for multiple people or animals that squall.
"The squallers continued their protests throughout the night."
The ending -er turns the weather word squall into a label for whoever or whatever does the wailing.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does squaller come from?
Squaller is formed in English by adding the productive agent suffix -er to squall. The resulting word means one that squalls, and its use for both literal wailing and noisy complaint developed from the verb’s broader sense of crying out loudly.
How squaller is actually used
The term is usually negative or mildly derisive. It may describe a child’s natural crying, an animal’s cry, or a person viewed as noisily complaining; in the last sense it can sound dismissive.
Easily confused with squaller
A squall is a sudden burst of violent wind or bad weather, whereas a squaller is a person or animal that makes a loud cry.