sighing

A child is sighing while looking at a messy room.

Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Exhaling audibly in a long, deep breath due to sadness, relief, tiredness, or longing: "sighing" describes the act of emitting a sigh, often as a natural expression of emotion.
   • Making a soft, mournful sound (often used figuratively for wind, leaves, or similar): "sighing" can also refer to a gentle, plaintive noise, like that of a breeze or rustling foliage.

2. Verb (present participle of sigh):

   • To utter a sigh: The continuous action of breathing out audibly, typically as a sign of weariness, sorrow, contentment, or relief.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • The sighing child finally fell asleep after a long day. (The child was audibly exhaling due to tiredness.)
  • We could hear the sighing wind through the pine trees. (The wind made a soft, mournful sound.)

• Verb (present participle):

  • She was sighing deeply as she looked at the pile of homework. (She was exhaling loudly from stress.)
  • He kept sighing during the movie, annoyed by the plot. (He repeatedly expressed frustration through sighs.)

Advanced Usage

• "Sighing with relief": a specific phrase indicating a sigh that expresses release from anxiety or tension.

  • After the exam, the students were sighing with relief. (They exhaled deeply because the stress was over.)

• "Sighing in resignation": a sigh that shows acceptance of an unpleasant situation.

  • The old man was sighing in resignation as he packed his belongings. (He sighed because he had no choice but to leave.)

Variants and Related Words

• Sigh (noun): a long, deep audible exhalation expressing emotion.

  • He let out a sigh of relief. (He breathed out heavily to show his tension was gone.)

• Sigh (verb): to emit a sigh.

  • She sighed when she heard the bad news. (She exhaled audibly in sadness.)

• Sighingly (adverb): in a manner that involves sighing.

  • She spoke sighingly, as if every word cost her effort. (She spoke with frequent sighs.)

Synonyms

• Moaning: making a low, prolonged sound of pain or sadness (similar to sighing but often more vocal).
• Groaning: emitting a deep, inarticulate sound of distress or disapproval.
• Wheezing: breathing with a whistling sound (can overlap with sighing in some contexts, but usually indicates a medical condition).

Related Idioms

• "A sigh of relief": an expression of relief after a period of worry or tension.

  • When the plane landed safely, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. (Everyone sighed to show their anxiety was over.)

• "Heave a sigh": to emit a deep, heavy sigh, often indicating strong emotion.

  • She heaved a sigh of despair when she saw the damage. (She let out a very deep, sad sigh.)