Whine vs. Rant

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Okay, so what's the difference? I think that I frequently use the word "whine" to describe what I'm doing when I'm actually ranting about something, and I think it's an attempt at self-deprecating humor.. but I'm not sure exactly what the difference is. Both are going on about something that's bothering/upsetting you, right? Largely the difference in how people think of it is tone of voice (whining you drag out the words, while ranting is usually kinda fast, I think,) but if it's online, that doesn't apply anyways.
So what actually makes the difference between what you guys would consider "whining" vs what you'd consider "ranting"? Does using the word "whine" make me sound as if I'm doing something bad for ranting? Like I said, I think when I do that, it's mainly an attempt to make fun of myself a bit, maybe make a little bit of humor when something is already bothering me (or I wouldn't be whining/ranting to begin with.)

I know that it's bad to whine but that it's usually okay to rant, especially if you pick someone who is okay with listening to the rant.. is the difference between whining and ranting in whether or not the person minds listening to you?

Maybe a whine is sort of a rhetorical rant-you're not really asking for any answers. That's an editorial "you" btw.

I usually associate the word "whine" with feeling victimized or powerless, and "rant" with surprise, outrage, or even anger. I suppose they are a bit overlapping in meaning at times. I know I've felt both at once on occasion. In fact, right now, about a county official coming after us with alleged code violations at our home. I feel victimized because it's someone in a position of power, and outrage, because my taxes pay this person to do this to us.

SpiritBlooms said basically what I was thinking. Rant = angry. Whine = powerless.

I can't even picture what a rant sounds like in person (or on the phone, in a movie, etc). I'm mostly used to the word on the internet. Which, I think basically means, to me, complaining in an angry way. The only thing I can picture is "ranting and raving", which including being out of control, which ranting doesn't.

On the other hand, whining, to me, mostly refers to a tone, and using it for a post on a messageboard would be, in my thinking, metaphorical. As in, not real whining, but whine-like. Like, "oh, poor me" kinda stuff. The kind of stuff people say when whining.

Is a rant asking for answers? I kinda thought that it was specifically not asking for answers.. like sometimes if I'm going on about something, I'll say that I'm just ranting, and don't expect anything to be done.. or is that venting, then? I think I see ranting and venting kinda as the same thing... just talking about something that bothers you so that you're not bottling it up.


Don't those go together? Like feeling angry about something that feels unfair, but a large part of the reason that you'd be angry about something like that is feeling like there's nothing you can do about it.


So is talking about something you feel powerless over "whining"? Does that mean that it's not always a bad thing? I think of whining as being a bad thing, but I think of talking about things that bother you as being a good thing.. getting it off your chest, not bottling it up, maybe getting some outside insight.. But all those things kinda contradict the whole concept of "whining" to me.

It's really, for me, the tone of voice that makes it a whine. You can't really truly whine on a message board.

But, the kind of things people say when they whine is wanting others to do things for them, expecting that.

Yeah, one can be angry because one is powerless. But the angry person doesn't give up the power they do have. An angry person wants to do something. A whining person wants someone else to do something. Yeah, an angry person might want someone else to do something, but there's also a wanting to do something. Like, "I'll kill you if you don't...". That's very different from what a whining person does.

Ranting, I basically see as, getting something that bothers you off your chest. It tends to express anger, but, well, there are other ways to be angry.

I'm guessing that the things that people call whining on the internet tend to be things where, someone is wanting someone else to do something for them when (the observer believes) they could do it for themself. And, the expression of anger is absent from whining.

And, heck, maybe to some people, that talking like they are helpless when they could do something for themselves is the essense of whining.

Good question, I guess, because it made me think more about it and come up with a better answer.

So.. what is it to just talk about something that makes you upset, or nervous or whatever?
And what if you actually are helpless about the thing?
And is it a bad thing, or not? Is it only bad if you don't appreciate the person listening? Or if the person listening doesn't want to be listening?
When you say "there are other ways to be angry" to you mean better ways, or worse ways?

To your first two questions, no special word for it.

No, talking about something that makes you upset, or nervous or whatever isn't a bad thing. It's a matter of who, and when (as in, the situation), and how you do it.

As for your last question, the answer is no. I don't mean better or worse ways. I mean different ways. Yeah, I know you didn't mean it as a yes/no question. But the answer is still no. The point is, a rant is not defined simply by anger. What I wrote before was simply a short description of how a ranting differs from whining, not a thorough description of what ranting is.

Whining is something you do and you don't listen to peoples advice and you aren't even looking for it. You are just whining by bitching about the same things over and over and you don't want any advice. You just expect everyone to listen.
Whining can also be bitching about every single thing you don't like and all you ever talk about is the bad stuff.

Ranting is bitching about it once. Like if you had a bad day at work, you b***h about it and you get support. But there are some people out there who do b***h about every single thing in their life and that's when it becomes whining. I view them as unhappy people.


That's my definition there.

^^ Those are both good explanations.. I think that answered my question.

I think that a lot of it is still in the mind of the person at the receiving end, though, which is what makes it confusing.

As I see whining is a person is looking for people to feel sorry for them or to do something for them. It's more of a personal thing... one rarely whines things that don't directly impact them.

I see ranting as blowing off steam. Where a person is angry & looking for a fight or a mob to join them. Usually more generalized, might be triggered by an event.. but ends up using a broad sweeping angry brush.